Edmonton - Red Deer - Calgary Hyperloop | ?m | ?s | Transpod

[kcantor]

Back in the news with the unveiling of the Fluxjet

TransPod Unveils the FluxJet for Ultra-High-Speed Transportation

The FluxJet will enable drastic improvements in carbon footprint, travel time, and ticket price compared to existing transport options.

www.transpod.com

”The FluxJet will operate exclusively on the TransPod Line.” an interesting statement noting that neither of those things actually exists.

“The technology is proven.“ another interesting statement noting that neither of those things actually exists.

“This critical project will create up to 140,000 jobs and add $19.2B to the region’s GDP throughout construction.” another interesting statement. why not 180,000 jobs, or 280,000 jobs? and why $19.2B, not an even $19B or $20B or $30B or $50B?

as for that US$550B in financing, isn’t that from one of china’s export development programs which means most of the initial design work will be done there and most of the manufacturing - if it ever gets that far - will also be done there and the intellectual property rights will also best there?

I like toys as much as the next person, i just don’t think we should be throwing good money after bad investing in something that’s not yet even a toy.

although “fluxjet operating on a transpod line” does have a certain jetsons/asimov/simpsons vibe to it that’s kind of catchy.

 

[occidentalcapital]

Taking money from China makes this now a geopolitical target a la Huawei. We can't have a hostile/not friendly foreign government controlling mass transportation in Canada. Bad move/miscalculation, if they want to get this up and running.

 

[occidentalcapital]

It looks like this is continuing to move forward.

Test facility to be build at YEG and link YEG to downtown (!)

"Starting in 2025, TransPod plans to start a two-year test deployment of the fully built FluxJet between downtown Edmonton and the Edmonton Airport on a five to 10-kilometre test track. Construction of the full intercity line between Calgary and Edmonton would then begin in 2027."

Is the TransPod Calgary-Edmonton passenger hyperloop Canada's future?

TransPod, a Toronto startup, says its FluxJet vehicle could shuttle commuters between Calgary and Edmonton in just 45 minutes

electricautonomy.ca

 

[The_Cat]

This would be a good test track!

 

[EdmTrekker]

A gondola could not get built. I don't see how approval will be given for a river crossing for Transpod. The Province would need to take control and bully it through. If it is all above ground track the entire way and wins public support for a river crossing - let the private sector run with it.

 

[Avenuer]

I am still not convinced about this transpod thing. Billions to build and we don't even have HSR as a pre-cursor to show there is enough demand to support high speed transit between Edmonton and Calgary. May as well build a monorail!

 

[archited]

^^^^ There is more at stake here than simply a track between Edmonton and Calgary -- a "proof of concept" on relatively inexpensive wide open prairie opens doors to all sorts of other markets. The rationale is clear to me.

 

[Didama]

Can we all agree never to bring up the f@@king monorail episode again? Gawd...it's a Simpsons episode from 30 years ago, people. I'm so sick of that coming up every time someone proposes any kind of transportation project. //rant

 

[Avenuer]

Can we all agree never to bring up the f@@king monorail episode again? Gawd...it's a Simpsons episode from 30 years ago, people. I'm so sick of that coming up every time someone proposes any kind of transportation project. //rant

 

[Fetch]

A gondola could not get built. I don't see how approval will be given for a river crossing for Transpod. The Province would need to take control and bully it through. If it is all above ground track the entire way and wins public support for a river crossing - let the private sector run with it.

If it is 5-10 km like the article states then it will probably link up with the Capital Line extension at Heritage Valley (13km) or farther down the line (10km puts you at 41 Avenue) rather than downtown. Downtown as the crow flies from YEG to Government Centre Station is 25km.

 

[CplKlinger]

Heritage Valley (13km)

What I find interesting is that they say five-ten km. I wonder if they mean that this will be a test track before they do a connection to the airport? Perhaps along some of the ROW, but to work out some big kinks before they go all-in with the first phase and launch commercial service?

 

[archited]

It would be prudent to do a full-scale test track before taking a "next step".

 

[Gronk!]

The vid looks impressive but I'm wary of CNET's editing

https://twitter.com/x/status/1608236481197342720

 

[archited]

^^^^ Agreed -- the distance between Calgary and Alberta is extremely miniscule. But the science is valid. I think that the test track, when completed, will put a lot of the negative poo-poohs to bed.

 

[EdmTrekker]

^^^^ Agreed -- the distance between Calgary and Alberta is extremely miniscule. But the science is valid. I think that the test track, when completed, will put a lot of the negative poo-poohs to bed.

I would not support a penny of public funds be provided to this hair brain scheme. Conventional hi-speed rail between both airports and downtowns (Edmonton and Calgary) may be all that is required ... and I am not convinced that is viable. Electric cars (also known as a private pod) will be used en mass 5-10 years. My daughter and her husband just bought 2 tesla's and ditched the Land Rover and Infinity. They installed their own charging stations in their garage and already part of a network that shares locations of hotels and businesses with electric plugs and stations in the West. If anything Alberta ought to be looking at what it can do to modernize the QE2 to allow for charging stations and a 4th lane in each direction.