Company aiming to build Alberta hyperloop secures steel partnership

"Algoma Steel" and "Supreme Steel Partner" are joining "Trans-pod" in construction of an ultra-high-speed line between Edmonton and Calgary.

The Canadian company looking to build a high-speed electric vehicle line between Alberta’s two largest cities announced Thursday it has entered an agreement with two steel suppliers for the project.

TransPod said in a media release it has partnered with Algoma Steel and Supreme Steel to secure “the materials and manufacturing capacity required” for the hyperloop project, which had a $20-billion price tag almost three years ago.

The company is planning to develop a test track between Edmonton and Calgary that would use its infrastructure system and ‘FluxJet’ vehicle, which TransPod says is designed to travel at more than 1,000 kilometres per hour.

The proposed line would include stations in Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer, and feature high-frequency departures, TransPod said.

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The Alberta government entered into an agreement with TransPod five years ago to explore the concept.

A feasibility study by TransPod four years ago said the line, which is designated by the province as a large-scale infrastructure project, would create up to 140,000 jobs in the province during construction of the line, contribute $19.2 billion to the region’s gross domestic product and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 636,000 tonnes per year.

Under the partnership, Algoma Steel would provide between 1.5 million and two million tonnes of low-carbon intensity steel over the course of construction, while Supreme Steel would manufacture the guideways that carry the FluxJet vehicle.