The TransPod start-up is building the world’s first ultra-high-speed ground transportation system (the TransPod Line) for passengers and cargo in Canada. The Toronto based company unveiled FluxJet, a hyperloop-like train that can travel at speeds of over 1,000 kilometres per hour.
The FluxJet is a fully electric vehicle, featuring in propulsion and fossil-fuel-free clean energy systems, and is defined by the company as a hybrid between an aircraft and a train. Using contactless power transmission and a new field of physics called veillance flux, the FluxJet travels in a protected guideway at over 1,000 km/h, which is faster than a jet and three times as fast as a high-speed train.
All the hard work over the past few years has led to this milestone moment where talk is becoming a reality. The technology is proven, and we have the confidence of investors, governments, and partners to continue pushing forward to redefine transportation effectively.
Sebastien Gendron, co-founder and CEO, TransPod.
The trains will operate exclusively on the TransPod Line, a network system with stations in key locations and major cities, featuring high-frequency departures designed to enable fast, affordable, and safe travel. The company has recently confirmed $550 million finance and announced the next phase of an $18 billion infrastructure project to build the TransPod Line to connect the cities of Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Canada.
Preliminary construction work, including the environmental impact assessment, has begun. The project will create up to 140,000 jobs and add $19.2 billion to the region’s GDP throughout construction, the company says. Moreover, they claim that once the TransPod Line is in operation, it will cost passengers approximately 44% less than a plane ticket to travel the corridor and reduce CO2 emissions by 636,000 tonnes per year.
At TransPod’s unveiling event in Toronto, a scaled-down FluxJet was featured in a live demonstration showing its flight capabilities. The almost 1-tonne FluxJet vehicle demonstrated a take-off, travel and landing procedure within its guideway.
This milestone is a major leap forward. The FluxJet is at a nexus of scientific research, industrial development, and massive infrastructure to address passengers’ needs and reduce our dependence on fossil-fuel-heavy jets and highways.
Ryan Janzen, co-founder and CTO, TransPod
“TransPod completely changes the game with ultra-high-speed, zero-emission passenger travel and freight transportation between major gateway cities,” said Yung Wu, CEO of MaRS Discovery District. “It is time for bold action from our policymakers, investors and operators to support the commercialization of made-in-Canada innovations like TransPod, to win in the multi-trillion dollar global innovation economy.”
The team estimates the FluxJet will be sued for public transport in Canada before 2035/ Gendron told CNN that they are also planning to expand worldwide, with discussions of connecting Dallas to San Antonio in Texas having already started. He indicated that the UAE is also interested in connecting Dubai to Abu Dhabi and Australia is interested in the project to connect Sydney to Brisbane.
