Rapid transit proposal offers clear vision to connect Edmonton and Calgary

peterpressmanNovember 19, 2022

The Prairie Link will connect high-speed trains, and TransPod is proposed to connect major cities in Alberta via Hyperloop.

The TransPod hyperloop system is intended to move passengers between cities at speeds of 1,000 km/h.supplied

A rapid transit link between Edmonton and Calgary has been debated for decades, but that goal appears closer than ever with two separate proposals in the planning stages.

The Prairie Link connects high-speed trains, while TransPod proposes connecting major cities in Alberta in pods that are electromagnetically levitated and propelled at high speeds in elevated steel-tube “tracks” called Hyperloops. .

Both projects will transport passengers and cargo, significantly reducing travel times on busy north-south routes.

The Prairie Link proposal is a partnership between EllisDon and AECOM. According to the company’s website, the high-speed train service offers many advantages beyond the proposed travel time of less than 90 minutes.

These include promoting economic growth in the state. Reducing CO2 emissions from electric or hydrogen-powered trains. Increased safety; reduced traffic and reduced need for future upgrades to Highway 2.

Prairie Link and TransPod have each signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Alberta government to help the government advance research and planning, and to provide a range of transportation data.

A Prairie Link representative declined an interview request, but sent a statement that the team is currently focused on “providing cities, towns and airports with proven high-speed rail technology.” .

“Prairie Link continues to pursue technical and commercial due diligence with guidance from global experts and input from Alberta,” reads the statement. “The next milestone is signing a project development contract with the Alberta government.”

Toronto-based TransPod’s Hyperloop-style transportation system proposal uses FluxJet. — a fully electric car similar to wingless plane — TransPod co-founder and CEO Sebastien Gendron says it can carry passengers and cargo inside what resembles a large elevated pipeline.

“It looks futuristic because we’re not used to it,” says Gendron. “But this is a very old concept, with the first designs starting in his 1900s.”

He says the overall design of the TransPod system is superior to traditional ground-level highways and railroad tracks.

Protected from outside air such as snowstorms. There are no “intersections” with elevated tracks. It can also operate at high frequency with multiple trips each day, but at top speeds similar to those of an aircraft, reducing travel time between Edmonton and Calgary to approximately 40 minutes.

Gendron said TransPod announced a $550 million deal for initial funding earlier this year and is currently working on the planning aspects, including designing the first test phase of a project near the Edmonton airport. .

“We aim to have the paperwork 100 percent complete by next summer,” he says. “Some of the main documents we have to have are land contracts and detailed cost estimates.”

Gednron said the TransPod line could be possible in Alberta, much like companies like Boeing did in Seattle many years ago.

“This is the first project of its kind in the world, and[so]we have the opportunity to develop the whole ecosystem around this new industry in the same way that some cities have done in the aerospace industry,” he said. say. “The purpose of this new type of transportation system is to make Alberta a hub of transportation know-how.”

This article was produced by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division.