Calgary Summit Brings Transportation, Rail, Urban Development and Economic Corridor Leaders Together

EDMONTON, Alberta - Sept. 8, 2026 - PRLog -- Business, transportation, infrastructure, economic development and government leaders will gather in Calgary on September 16, 2026, for the Integrated Transportation & Economic Corridor Summit, a one-day forum focused on improving the movement of people, goods, investment and information across North America.

The Summit is designed to bring together leaders from the public and private sectors to examine how transportation infrastructure, communications technology, investment, urban development and economic policy can work together to create more efficient and competitive corridors.

Four panels examine the future of integrated corridors

The Summit's panel program brings together experts representing transportation, rail, infrastructure and urban development perspectives.

Panel 1 — The Investment Gap

Speakers:

• Charles St Arnaud
• Jean-Pierre Arduin
• Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

Focus: How to attract and stimulate private investment along brownfield corridors.

Panel 2 — High Performance Rail

Speakers:

• Thomas Fryer
• Allen Greenwood
• Vahid Ayan
• Terence Johnson

Focus: Engineering an integrated framework for modernizing passenger and freight rail along existing transportation corridors.

Panel 3 — Last-Mile Solutions and Transit-Oriented Development

Speakers:

• Sharon Fleming
• Warren Skaalrud
• Armando Ocana
• Baily Lapp

Focus: The future of last-mile transportation, transit-oriented development and urban mobility.

Panel 4 — Air Travel, High Performance Rail and High-Speed Rail Integration

Speaker:

• Dr. Chris Fichera

Focus: Best practices for integrating air travel, High Performance Rail and High-Speed Rail.

Connecting transportation with economic development

The Summit's broader agenda extends beyond individual modes of transportation. It seeks to develop a "Big Picture" approach to moving people and goods along transportation and economic corridors.

The Foundation identifies three central objectives for the Summit:

COLLABORATE

INNOVATE

CONNECT — Build partnerships across air, rail, road, pipeline and last-mile logistics.

The event will also examine broader issues affecting economic corridors, including international trade, cross-border economic cooperation, tariffs, regulatory barriers, maritime bottlenecks, seamless transit and the application of artificial intelligence to transportation networks.

Continuing the conversation that began with Expo 86

The 2026 Summit also recognizes the 40th anniversary of Expo 86, whose theme was "Transportation and Communication." The Connecting Communities Foundation notes that technologies demonstrated at Expo 86—including automated rapid transit, personal computing and early digital telecommunications—have since become important parts of everyday infrastructure and communications.

The Summit asks a forward-looking question: What will the next generation consider revolutionary in transportation and economic corridors?

Event Information

Event: Integrated Transportation & Economic Corridor Summit
Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Location: Carriage House Hotel & Conference Centre
Address: 9030 Macleod Trail S.E., Calgary, Alberta T2H 0M4
Theme: Transportation and Communication: Seamless Integration

Media inquiries, speaker information and Summit participation:
Please contact ITS@connectingcommunities.foundation or 825-733-8235.