Canada is creating a hybrid train and plane: it can reach speeds of up to 1 km / h

Toronto-based TransPod recently unveiled plans for the FluxJet, an all-electric bullet train system that is "a hybrid of an airplane and a train." CNBC.

Photo: IStock

The project, currently at the conceptual stage, will include 25 m long maglev trains that will carry passengers at a speed of approximately 1000 km per hour.

That's faster than a commercial aircraft and about three times the speed of most high-speed trains - zero emissions. According to the company, FluxJet will rely on "contactless power transmission" where the train will be powered from the existing electrical grid via magnetic fields.

The aerodynamic design of the levitating train is designed to reduce friction. But the FluxJet's theoretical ability to outperform jets and high-speed trains relies on technology influenced by "veillance flux," a relatively new field of physics. In July, the company released a video showcasing the FluxJet design process, including a brief overview of how the technology works and concept animations showing what the final version might eventually look like:

TransPod says the FluxJet fare for passengers will be 44% less than the cost of a plane ticket. To start, the company plans to build a nearly 321 km network of vacuum tubes between the Canadian cities of Edmonton and Calgary.

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Under this plan, trains will depart every two minutes and carry up to 54 passengers and 10 tons of cargo per trip. The 280 km trip between the two cities will take just 45 minutes, the company says.

$18 billion project

It's a good news. The bad news is that even with an optimistic view of this transit system, it will take many years and billions of dollars.

In March, TransPod raised $550 million in funding from British investors Broughton Capital Group and Chinese state-owned China-East Resources Import & Export Co. The money will go toward funding ongoing research and development, as well as plans to build a test site and conduct speed tests between 2023 and 2027.

The company says it wants to start building its long-distance FluxJet line by 2027. TransPod also says the project will eventually cost $18 billion, meaning it will need to raise a lot more money over that period — whether it be from private investors, public funding, or both.

TransPod says the expense is worth it, predicting that building the FluxJet system will create "up to 140 jobs" and add $000 billion to the region's gross domestic product (GDP). Once built, the system will reduce carbon emissions by 19,2 tons per year, TransPod says.

Richard Branson's Virgin Hyperloop One previously announced plans for a similar system of bullet trains designed to carry passengers at speeds up to 1200 kilometers per hour. Virgin's prototype floating pods have hit speeds of around 380 miles per hour so far.

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Similarly, Elon Musk's The Boring Company has been digging underground tunnels in Los Angeles and Las Vegas for years, hoping to eventually fill them with Hyperloop high-speed transport systems that will move passenger capsules at over 960 km per hour.

Until now, the tunnels have only been used to transport Tesla vehicles at about 80 miles per hour. In April, Musk tweeted that he wanted to begin "full-scale testing" of Hyperloop later this year.

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