[browna]

Probably covered this, but why a train to get to Banff?
Greyhound used to cost $12 to go out there or $20 round trip.

Ok sure you had to get to the bus station, but now they can run a bus garage somewhere in the NE near the airport and have it pickup at the airport. If it's economically viable to pay back $600M for track, surely some form of Prevost bus fleet and organized service could provide the same experience at a fraction of the cost and no "red tape until 2035 (especially on Indigenous land)" track infrastructure.

You can't tell me that you couldn't get hourly full size bus service at a fraction of the cost direct from YYC. And, have flexible schedules. Not every bus has to stop at the 6 proposed train spots, some can be direct. Conventions could have the same company custom charter busses from Stampede Park or wherever and drop them back at YYC.

No way that set up would come close to a $600M outlay, nor take a decade to get going, and would be much more flexible, nor would it be a white elephant in 2050 when self driving electric shuttles replace that type of transport.