IARO 2026 Air-Rail Meeting Hosted by Brussels Airport
Event Report, Presentations and Photo Gallery available
The 2026 IARO Conference and Networking Meeting took place last week.
Many thanks to Brussels Airport for generously hosting the Meeting - and to all participants who attended it.
To view the Report, Photo Gallery and Presentations (Members only), click: Source article
Further information about the IARO, click on www.iaro.com (linkedin.com) or by email to patrick.hicks@iaro.com (mailto:patrick.hicks@iaro.com)
Calgary-Edmonton high speed rail to connect both airports
A high-speed rail line connecting downtown Calgary and downtown Edmonton in 1¾ hours is moving a step closer, with the province of Alberta preparing to ask the private sector for formal proposals shortly.
The proposed line would connect Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton, also serving both Calgary International Airport and Edmonton International Airport. Alberta plans to select a private-sector proponent by April 2027. The province says the successful proposal will be expected to require minimal financial investment from the Alberta government and integrate with existing passenger rail systems in Calgary and Edmonton.
The federal government is also getting involved. Ottawa has committed to referring the Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton corridor to the federal Major Projects Office as a transformative strategy once Alberta selects a private proponent. The two governments say they will work together on planning and explore financing options.
The proposal is part of Alberta’s broader 30-year Passenger Rail Master Plan. Under that plan, trains between Calgary and Edmonton could travel at speeds of up to 320 km/h using new, dedicated passenger tracks in a new corridor. The corridor is a significant focus because about 80% of Alberta’s population lives along the Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton corridor. Alberta’s population, currently more than five million, is projected to reach between nine million and 10 million over the next six decades.
There is no specific construction price attached to the Calgary-Edmonton high-speed line in the province’s announcement. The Passenger Rail Master Plan does, however, put an early estimate (alberta.ca) on the much larger network envisioned over 30 years. Designing and constructing that full network, including acquiring trains, is estimated at C$60 billion in 2025 dollars.
That figure covers more than 500 kilometres of proposed passenger rail corridors, not just high-speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton. It includes tracks, stations, land, trains, maintenance and storage facilities, and governance costs. The estimate is also preliminary. The master plan says its initial cost estimates have a range of plus 100% to minus 50%, reflecting the early planning stage. Inflation is not included, meaning the actual dollars spent in future years would be higher.
The plan projects that fare revenue from a completed network could exceed its ongoing operating and maintenance costs and contribute to infrastructure renewal. It does not, however, expect that revenue to be enough to repay the initial capital investment.
The proposed network includes higher-speed service of more than 160 km/h between Calgary and Banff, with up to one train each hour. It also calls for frequent airport and commuter rail, with an all-day service every 20 minutes connecting Calgary International Airport, Airdrie, Edmonton International Airport and St. Albert, alongside commuter services on other connections.
Alberta has already committed C$15 million over three years for passenger rail work. That includes planning a connection between Edmonton’s LRT system and Edmonton International Airport, initial planning for a downtown Calgary central station, and discussions with industry about financing and private-sector involvement.
The next concrete milestone is the RFP process this autumn, followed by Alberta’s planned selection of a proponent by April 2027.
IARO Express 614 reported on plans for rail connections to Calgary airport, and issue 581 reported on Alberta’s rail plans generally.
Source ToDo Canada (todocanada.ca )
Luton’s new transport initiatives
London Luton Airport (LLA) (london-luton.co.uk) is stepping up its campaign to get passengers out of cars and onto public transport, launching a new online journey planner and for a short time offering heavily discounted coach fares from London.
The new planner (link below) is designed to make public transportation easier to find and compare, allowing passengers to check train, bus and coach options alongside road routes.
Users can enter their starting point, preferred connections and travel-time requirements before comparing available journeys to and from the airport (although the information does not include the price). LLA says the initiative is part of a broader effort to make public transport more accessible, affordable and attractive as it works with rail, bus and coach operators to encourage more sustainable airport journeys.
The airport is also partnering with National Express to offer up to 10,000 £2 coach fares. The promotion covers 49 direct daily services between Luton Airport and nine London pickup points, including Victoria, Baker Street, Paddington, Marble Arch, St John’s Wood, Finchley Road and Golders Green. The services operate around the clock, giving passengers another alternative to driving to the airport. The £2 tickets can be booked from October 31 for travel up to December 10, although bookings must be made at least 14 days before departure. The promotion applies to one-way journeys from London to Luton Airport.
The latest campaign follows LLA’s Fly and Ride initiative in September, which allowed passengers showing a valid boarding pass to travel free on direct Arriva and Stagecoach buses serving the airport.
The airport has direct rail connections through the Luton Airport Express, which links St Pancras International with Luton Airport Parkway in just over 30 minutes, as well as the Thameslink line to and beyond central London stations. At the Parkway station, passengers transfer to the DART people mover, reaching the terminal in less than four minutes.
National Express coaches at Luton Airport
Sources Travelmole (travelmole.com ) and the IARO database
S-Bahn between Cologne-Bonn Airport and central Bonn delayed
There have been plans for the last 30 years for a direct S-Bahn connection between Bonn and Cologne/Bonn Airport. The project has been delayed by a further five years, possibly until 2040, because the need for a crucial bridge was overlooked. Despite this, the express bus service is still scheduled to be discontinued by the end of this year.
At the moment the east-west S19 line connects Duren with Au (Hamm), running through the airport. Between 4:00 and 21:00 it runs every 20 minutes, but at night it runs every 30 minutes with two services running further west to Aachen.
This is to be partly replaced by the S13, running north-south between Bonn and the airport. However, grade separation is needed near Troisdorf to ensure a reliable timetable – and the need for this had reportedly been overlooked. Until it is provided, a planned 20-minute interval for the S13 is unlikely to happen, and a temporary solution will probably remain in place for at least another 15 years. This is likely to be a half-hourly service which will not run into central Bonn. Despite this, the SB60 express bus between Bonn Hbf and the airport is to be discontinued from mid-December 2026.
IARO Express 590 reported on new trains for the local services.
S-Bahn class 425 at Köln-Bonn Airport (as the station is correctly called)
Sources Airliners (airliners.de ) and the IARO database
Calls for rail links to Faro Airport
PSD Algarve (facebook.com) – the regional delegation of Portugal’s Social Democratic Party – argues that the completion of the Algarve railway’s electrification should mark the start of a new phase of railway investment rather than the end of the region’s rail modernisation., adding that Algarve’s railway should be connected to Faro Airport and neighbouring Spain now that faster and more frequent electric train services have been introduced in the region (portugalresident.com) .
The call comes following the introduction of the Algarve’s new electric regional rail service, which has increased the number of trains operating on the line and removed the need for most passengers to change trains in Faro. According to the PSD Algarve, the new operation represents an 18% increase in regional services and provides around 40% more seats.
A cross-border railway would provide a new public transport link between southern Portugal and southern Spain, which are currently connected primarily by road. The PSD Algarve leader was more critical of the lack of progress on a rail connection to Faro Airport, which remains outside the region’s railway network despite being the main international gateway to the Algarve.
IARO Express 471 had a very brief report on Faro’s airport rail connection.
Brazil: Viracopos airport’s light rail connection
The Campinas light rail project, currently at the feasibility study stage, will connect the city centre to Viracopos airport. It will be 44km long with 18 stops.
Viracopos Airport serves the southeast Brazilian city of Campinas, 100km north of São Paulo. It is one of three major airports serving the wider São Paulo region, together with Guarulhos and Congonhas. Campinas is served by three of Brazil's four main carriers but is dominated by Azul, who maintain their hub at Campinas and whose extensive network accounts for the airport being the fifth busiest in Brazil by movements. TAP Portugal is the only foreign carrier at Campinas, and operates its sole international link.
The airport has two IATA identifiers, CPQ and the more common VCP, with services operating with the VCP code advertised as São Paulo services. Gol currently operates services using the CPQ identifier.
Campinas is operated under a 30-year concession by the Aeroportos Brasil consortium, which owns a 51% stake in the airport, of TPI - Triunfo Participações e Investimentos SA, UTC Participações SA and Egis Airport Operation. State-owned operator Infraero maintains a minority stake of 49%.
IARO Express 660 had an earlier report.
Sources International Railway Journal, Centre for Aviation