CALGARY — Advocates and conservation experts are concerned that a proposal for a Calgary-Banff passenger train will move forward without addressing some key environmental issues in and around the national park.
Liricon Capital Inc., the leading private-sector proponent, touts it as a hydrogen-powered transportation solution with fewer greenhouse gas emissions than driving.
The company says it has received support from municipalities and the tourism industry, but the Alberta government has told the Globe and Mail it will not invest in the $1.5 billion train as it stands because the financial risks are too high.
Environmental organizations, including the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Yellowstone to Yukon and Bow Valley Naturalists, and some scientists say the proposal also has environmental risks.
“This is one of the most important conservation landscapes in North America,” Tony Clevenger, senior wildlife research scientist at Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute, said from Banff, Alta. “It also happens to be one of the busiest in terms of transport infrastructure.
“The idea of this new rail line, which would be very close to the existing rail line, is really problematic, not only in the park, but also outside the park on provincial land and Stoney Nakoda (First Nations).”
Concerns include the death of wildlife along the railway, particularly grizzly bears, which have been hit and killed on the existing track, and the fragmentation of wildlife habitat in the already busy Bow Valley of alberta.
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Josh Welsh, manager of the Alberta program from Yellowstone to Yukon, said the passenger train to Banff is not a bad idea.
“We see it as a means of potentially providing a sustainable transportation vision that could work for wildlife, people and the planet,” he said.
But, he added, there isn’t enough information or collaboration to know if it works for wildlife.
Proposed passenger train between #Calgary and #Banff raises environmental concerns. #wildlife
“The Bow Valley is already being squeezed for development.”
A recent report by the Canmore, Alta-based organization found that the mountain town’s footprint has increased fivefold in 50 years. He focused on grizzly bears because “if you take care of grizzly bears, you take care of a lot of other things.”
The report found that the bears have lost about 85 percent of their original habitat in the Bow Valley.
“So when you talk about another piece of linear infrastructure, which is a train line… we’re talking about cutting habitat, unplugging wildlife,” he said.
Devon Earl, a conservation specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association, said the Calgary-based organization has similar concerns.
“We don’t think there has been a proper assessment of how wildlife will be affected,” he said.
He also questions whether a train would really reduce the number of cars on the road, saying bus service could be more profitable.
Liricon has said that Parks Canada should consider increasing the Banff National Park entrance fee for private passenger vehicles and expanding bus and shuttle service between park attractions.
Parks Canada said in a statement that its first priority is to protect the ecological integrity in national parks, but “is not currently reviewing a proposal for passenger rail in Banff National Park.” Any review, he added, would look at policy and legislation, including the Impact Assessment Act and park priorities.
Jan Watrous, managing partner of Liricon, said a study shows the train could carry around 11 million passengers a year and reduce traffic on highways.
“The fact that the passenger train is a zero-emission hydrogen train and significantly reduces vehicle traffic…means that human and wildlife mortality on the roads will be drastically reduced,” he said. “Details of the hydrogen solution and wildlife mitigations will be determined through consultation.”
The company has said it is considering using technology such as lighting or sound to warn animals of approaching trains and reduce wildlife deaths on the tracks.
Colleen Cassady St. Clair, a biologist at the University of Alberta, said she spoke to Liricon about that idea, which grew out of research she led.
Although early tests show it may be effective for some wildlife, he said “there’s a lot of untested ground in a warning-based system.”
St. Clair said there could also be challenges with wildlife crossing structures that go over or under the tracks.
Clevenger, who specializes in wildlife crossings, said he heard the company was looking for underpasses to align with those under the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park.
“That is very simplistic and completely unfeasible,” he said. “You can’t put an underpass on the new rail line without putting an underpass on the mainline (Canadian Pacific Railway). You’d have to do both.”
Clevenger said the move would reduce already compromised wildlife habitat.
A passenger train, he added, could end up increasing overall traffic to the national park.
“It’s a landscape that’s teeming with people,” he said. “I don’t think they can handle it.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 15, 2022