The company behind an Edmonton-Calgary high-speed hyperloop has a lengthy to-do list if it wants to start construction at Edmonton’s airport by the end of this year, as it planned to do.

Since announcing US$550 million in initial funding in early 2022, TransPod has built and began testing a prototype of the vehicle it says will be able to transport 54 people between Alberta’s largest cities in 45 minutes, co-founder and CEO Sebastian Gendron told CTV News Edmonton in a Tuesday interview.

And to unlock the investment, TransPod has been finessing major details: the project’s $20-billion price tag, the loop’s alignment, permits, and land acquisition – starting near Edmonton’s airport.

But the last item is stalled until infrastructure like TransPod’s loop is recognized under Alberta’s Railway Act, which would give TransPod the right to secure a corridor between Edmonton and Calgary.

The goal had been to start construction at the airport by the end of 2023, but not only is TransPod waiting on the government, it has been advised by locals to start building after the winter.

Keep reading on edmonton.ctvnews.ca

• 
•