Sustainable Financial Model and Procurement Strategy for Passenger Rail Activities

The main goal for the project is to develop a sustainable financial model for passenger rail activities in Alberta, as well as to investigate and recommend procurement and management approaches to plan, budget, deliver, operate, and manage the rail activities. The project also aims to assess the financial impacts and risks to the Province of Alberta related to the implementation of the sustainable financial model and procurement strategy.

Project Proposal: Addressing Alberta's Housing Crisis Through the "Connecting Communities" Initiative

The "Connecting Communities" initiative by Alberta Regional Rail (ARR) and Integrated Travel & Rail Development (ITRD) presents a unique opportunity to tackle Alberta's housing crisis. This project aims to assess and enhance the socio-economic impact of rail network expansion, focusing on community revitalization, housing affordability, and sustainable development along the Calgary-Edmonton corridor. Objective: To explore how the expansion of regional rail services can contribute to resolving Alberta's housing crisis, particularly in underserved areas, and how it can foster balanced regional development.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Locomotive Retrofit Project

The main goal for the project is to research the capital investment and running costs for H2 Fuel Cell powered locomotives, determine the economies of scale for fuel cell electric trains to hit the rails profitably, and develop a fuel cell electric train retrofit pilot project using a diesel-electric multiple unit train as a platform, leveraging existing equipment to re-purpose end-of-life assets for the proposed pilot project in Alberta leveraging Alberta's abundant hydrogen and fuel station facilities along Class 1 Right of Ways.

Data Analytics Strategy for Transportation Equity

The main goal for the project is to develop and implement a “Data Analytics Strategy” to offer support to indigenous and rural communities which do not have equitable access to cellphone and GIS data for transportation planning. This strategy will involve the development of a “Social Media data extraction” to estimate transit and passenger rail ridership, economic development opportunities, and gaps in rural community infrastructure. The data will be leveraged to predict impacts to rural and indigenous communities and shared with community leaders to benefit future planning decisions and local economic development initiatives.