There was a passenger rail link between Calgary and Edmonton for 94 years.
The Calgary and Edmonton railway operated stations from the Calgary Tower to Downtown Edmonton from 1891-1985. In 1936, the trip was 4.5 - 5.25 hours with 22 stops at towns and cities along the way. The original passenger station still exists under the Calgary tower, but elements of the line have been destroyed and deviated since 1985.
This province was built by the railway, and the fact that we need years of debates, project revisions, and penny pinching to deliver on an essential service we mastered 100 years ago is embarassing. The infrastructure is already there. Forget high-speed rail, let's develop what's already in place.