Quote:
Originally Posted by Northendzone
So let’s spitball this. I live in the deep SE and I could drive to Say Johnson canyon to check out the ink pots or take the train.
. Leave my house at 6.15 to drive downtown to catch a 7.00 am train ( I have to pay to park in calgary)
. Train leaves downtown at 7. Stops in the NW, Morley and Canmore. So 30 to 45m in stopped time, plus about lest say 75minutes of rail time
. I have to then catch a shuttle to Johnson canyon - 30 to 45m
. So it is now what about 9.45 and I am at the trail head
Or I could leave directly from my house via a private vehicle and be at the trail head by 8.30
And with my own vehicle I likely have flexibility on when I want to leave. With the train, I am likely locked in leaving at a certain time and I have to catch a shuttle back to the train, then do the whole process in reverse.
So instead of being home by 4 it is likely more like 7.30.
Seems like an appealing way to spend a whole day.
Of course at this moment, driving is still reasonably cheap and my time has value. With the group in Ottawa, they are likely die to crank up taxes on gas, so maybe that changes things a bit.
This has epic boondoggle written all over it.
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Some people do things differently. You’ll also notice a lot of people carpool as well, as evidenced by the massive parking at the PetroCan by HWY 22. So the inconvenience of being at somebody else’s whim isn’t everybody’s concern.
This will be great for people who don’t own cars or don’t drive or have a visitors from out of town and don’t have enough room in their family car. There are a lot of use cases.
Also if a train means there will be less parking taken up at the trailheads, doesn’t that make people driving happier? Maybe it will mean more people can actually view the larches at Moraine Lake in the Fall.