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.

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 $22 billion when fully completed.

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.

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.

The next phases of the Alberta TransPod project are:

• Short-term: Research and development; construction permit; environmental assessment; land acquisition (present-2024)
• Medium-term: Test track construction, high-speed tests, and certification (2023-2027)
• Long-term: Construction of a full inter-city line between Edmonton and Calgary (to begin in 2027).