Canada begins feasibility study for a 300 kilometre hyperloop

CANADIAN developer TransPod has begun a feasibility study into a 300 kilometre long hyperloop that would link the cities of Calgary and Edmonton.

The start-up has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Alberta and hopes to begin construction on the project in full in 2025.

In the meantime, following the feasibility study, TransPod will begin construction on a test track.

Above: The proposed 300km long hyperloop would link the cities of Calgary and Edmonton (image courtesy of TransPod).

The proposed hyperloop would revolutionise transport between the two cities, travelling in a ground-level protected tube at speeds of up to 1,000 kilometres per hour - and departing every few minutes.

Calgary is regarded as the centre of Canada’s oil industry and as such has a rapidly growing population of more than 1.3 million people.

To the North is Edmonton, the capital of Alberta and administrative centre of the province.

Between the two cities is one of the most important transportation corridors in Canada.

Above: An artist's impression of the interior of the Canadian Hyperloop (image courtesy of TransPod).

The agreement between TransPod and the Alberta government will allow private investment to begin on the billion-dollar project, which will create an estimated 38,000 jobs over the next decade.

The race to build the world’s first hyperloop has heated up in recent months with a number of other countries coming close to starting construction.

Above: The TransPod hyperloop against the Calgary skyline (image courtesy of TransPod).

World governments have also been massively investing in national infrastructure projects following the COVID-19 economic crisis.

France has recently announced a €100 billion plan for new sustainable transport networks throughout the country, and China has said they will double their current high-speed rail network within the next fifteen years.

Learn more about hyperloop and the race to build the first system in our documentary:

Header image courtesy of TransPod.