TransPod partners with Canadian steelmakers for 1,000-km/h Alberta rail project

TransPod has secured partnerships with two Canadian steel companies to support its proposed “ultra-high-speed” rail line between Calgary and Edmonton.

With preliminary work completed, the project is paused pending the release of the Government of Alberta’s transportation master plan later this year.

As part of the agreement, Algoma Steel will supply up to 2 million tonnes of Canadian-made steel over the course of the project’s construction, while Supreme Steel will manufacture the steel guideways that will carry TransPod’s FluxJet vehicles at more than 1,000 km/h between the two cities.

TransPod said the collaboration will reduce reliance on volatile export markets and tariffs from the United States.

“Together with Algoma and Supreme Steel, we can generate jobs, strengthen supply chains, and position Alberta as a hub of productivity,” TransPod co-founder and CEO Sebastien Gendron said in a statement.

The Toronto-based autotech startup has suffered a few setbacks since it began exploring the project with Alberta in 2020, which will facilitate 45-minute trips between the province’s two largest cities.

Since the company secured a $688.2 million investment for the project in 2022, Alberta has made TransPod commit to adding a stop in Red Deer, between Calgary and Edmonton. The company has also been blocked from acquiring the necessary land for the corridor since its unique infrastructure isn’t recognized under Alberta’s Railway Act.

With preliminary work completed, the project is paused pending the release of the Government of Alberta’s transportation master plan later this year, TransPod said in a statement. The master plan should give the company the clarity it needs to acquire the necessary land, according to Railway Supply.

TransPod said it and its partners are “fully prepared” to resume development as soon as the strategy is released. A feasibility study claimed the project will create up to 140,000 jobs and add $19.2 billion to the region’s GDP throughout construction.

First proposed by Elon Musk over a decade ago, Hyperloops are transportation systems where pods travel through sealed, low-pressure tubes free of air resistance or friction. While Hyperloop systems have been criticized as expensive, that hasn’t prevented companies like the now-defunct Virgin Hyperloop and others from exploring the concept.

TransPod has argued that its approach differs from Hyperloop systems. “We’re trying to move away from that word [Hyperloop] just to really differentiate ourselves from what the public thinks,” Gendron said at a demonstration in 2022. “This is not Elon Musk’s technology; it’s a transportation technology.”

Feature image courtesy TransPod.