Why this Canadian tech company chose to build a 1000 km/hr train in Alberta
Imagine travelling from Calgary to Edmonton in less time than it takes to do a load of laundry. Canadian company, TransPod wants to change how Alberta moves by building a hyper-speed train capable of cruising at 1,000 kilometres an hour—ushering in a new age of travel that is not just efficient but eco-friendly.
What is TransPod?
A small company with big dreams, TransPod was founded in 2019. Nine years later they’re closer than ever to making the “5th mode of transportation” a reality. Described as an “aircraft without wings,” TransPod could revolutionize the way we travel and work within the province.
Their hope is to develop the next generation of affordable and sustainable high-speed transportation, for a “better connected and fossil fuel-free society.”
“The way people move is not sustainable,” they explain on their website.
“As the population is demanding faster deliveries and faster transport, it is critical to develop new transportation systems capable of moving people fast and clean.”
If built, this train would take people from the Edmonton Airport to Red Deer for $50, or Edmonton to Calgary in just 45 minutes for $90 – but why did a Toronto-based company choose Alberta for its first elevated, LRT-like line?
Why did TransPod choose Alberta?
According to Sebastien Gendron, co-founder and CEO of TransPod, there were two corridors on the table when they first approached investors and government: Toronto to Montreal and Calgary to Edmonton.
While Ontario was “attractive,” they ultimately chose a route along Alberta’s Highway 2 for both the land’s practicality and the province’s pioneering spirit.
“It’s only one province, it’s also a straight corridor, it’s flat, and what I’ve learnt over the years, is that Alberta is more business-friendly and more open-minded to innovation than others, ” he told Curiocity.
“Someone told me that this is because when it comes to finding oil, most of the time you don’t find anything, so if you don’t take any risk, you don’t get any rewards.”
As you can imagine, getting approval, funding, and support has and will continue to take time, but these rewards could be major.
The company believes that what they’re calling the FluxJet, could add $19.2 billion to the province’s GDP, create 140,000 jobs over 9 years, and reduce CO2 emissions by 636,000 tonnes per year.
What needs to be done before the line is built?
It’s been a long road, but TransPod has already secured over $550 million (of the total $22.4 billion) in financing and has signed a Memorandum Of Understanding with the City of Edmonton and the Building Trades Of Alberta, but they’ve recently had to take a step back.
In April, the government announced that they were developing a transportation “Master Plan,” which the public has been encouraged to take part in through a survey.
From in-city transit to long-distance rail, this plan will outline what the government will prioritize in the coming years—which could affect their timeline.
While unfortunately, the complete plan will not be unveiled until 2025, Gendron is staying positive.
“We’re still the leading project,” he explained, adding that the company also has a “green light” from the Edmonton Airport—which is where they’ve decided they will begin building if and when they are given the go-ahead.
“The Government wants to take more time, but that’ll give us more time as well.”
From further improving the tech, which they unveiled to an eager audience in Toronto in 2022, to raising more money for things like a test track and research, there’s always room for improvement which is why the co-founder isn’t too upset.
In fact, he’s excited to be able to work closer with developers and architects to strengthen the proposal.
“We’d like to start to design the different stations for Edmonton—for the airport, also for Red Deer, and Calgary, and use that to showcase how a transport station would look like in Alberta.”
If this is something you’d like to see in the province, hold on to your hats, because in 2025 the company is expected to share renderings and do a demonstration in Edmonton to gain even more support.
There’s no word yet on if this will be a public or private event, but, as always, we’ll keep you updated.
It might not be long until Calgary and Edmonton are connected by a high-speed train, but it’ll come down to you and you’re opinions.
This could be an exciting year!
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