Hatch has signed an agreement with TransPod to support the next phase of their hyperloop test track – design and construction of their state-of-the-art, ultra-high-speed transportation project – and subsequent full-line project between Calgary and Edmonton.

TransPod—a Canadian start-up based in Toronto—is developing a transportation system to carry vehicles at speeds greater than 1000 km/h, enabling users to travel between the cities in under an hour.

As part of the recently signed agreement, Hatch’s specialty engineers will participate in the design and construction of the track. The initial work on the Test Track Environmental Impact Assessment Study has already begun, and the work on selected FEL3 engineering scope and related cost estimates will follow shortly.

Construction, high-speed tests, and certification of the Alberta test track is expected to start next year and finish in 2027. It will be immediately followed by the inter-city line construction and completion of the line from downtown Edmonton to downtown Calgary.

TransPod technology offers major improvements in vehicle propulsion. They use new technology with active real-time control and sense-space systems, relying on moving electromagnetic fields to propel the vehicle. This provides stable levitation without compressed air.

Most notable among five TransPod patented innovations are Quantum Power—which offers a plasma-based highspeed contactless power transmission system from the power rails to the vehicle—and Jet Glide, an active levitation system that uses magnetic motors to generate thrust and braking and keeps the vehicle centered along the guideway, providing a smooth driving experience.

With the goal of developing an appropriate regulatory framework, TransPod is collaborating with four European companies, two American companies, and regulators to establish if the evacuated tube transport falls under railway or aerospace regulations.

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In 2020, TransPod signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Alberta to support the development of a line between Calgary and Edmonton. Following the 2021 pre-feasibility study for the line, Stage 1 of this project will include a 5-10 km test track between downtown Edmonton to the Edmonton Airport. In March of 2022, TransPod announced the next phase of this infrastructure project, which is estimated at nearly C$22 billion when fully completed.

Featured image: (TransPod)

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