Alberta’s government says it will launch this fall a formal request for private companies to submit a proposal for a high-speed rail system that would connect Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary.

Premier Danielle Smith says Ottawa has agreed to refer the project to its major projects office once a proponent has been selected.

Smith says the proponent would be selected by April 2027.

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Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski, who represents an Edmonton riding, says Ottawa is prepared to work with Alberta on the project.

She says the work will include speaking to Indigenous communities, municipalities and the public to understand the costs, benefits and effects of a high-speed rail system.

Smith says the railway service would also include stops at Alberta’s two largest airports.

“Statistics Canada’s most recent population data shows that Alberta is growing faster than every other province in 2026 and the Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton region is home to roughly 80 per cent of Alberta’s population,” Smith told a news conference in Calgary on Monday.

“That increasing demand is creating a greater need for modern transportation infrastructure to keep people as well as services moving efficiently.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government established the Calgary-based major projects office last year to speed along infrastructure deemed in the national interest.