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Speaking at the NXT Conclave, Sebastien Gendron Founder & CEO, Transpod stated, “Our vision is to create a high-speed transportation.” He continued shedding light on the concept of tube transportation, saying the idea has been around for more than 100 years.
Gendron while addressing the attendees at the NXT Conclave, Gendron stated, “Our vision is really to create the next generation of AI speed transportation for those who are familiar with the current state of the art high-speed train. I’ve been around for 50 years, I would say now and at Transport we really believe that the next generation of high speed transportation belongs to what we call tube transportation. Or you may have heard about Hyperloop.”
‘We’re Not Designing A Magnetic Gun’
Sebastien Gendron Founder & CEO, Transpod added, “So today, trains are limited to 200 kilometers per hour with that kind of idea to remove most of the air, you can achieve 2000 kilometers per hour. Now, be careful. We’re not designing a magnetic gun. We’re not shooting people in a tube. We’re talking about decent acceleration and deceleration. So it will take a few kilometers to reach top speed and then several kilometers to decelerate.
He further shared, “So it can accommodate every, I would say, passengers. The the the vehicle we’ve been developing, that transport is called the flux jet. So it’s the size of a train coach or bus. So it’s 25 meters long. But as you can imagine, within that tube, so there’s no air. So it looks more like a net craft without wings. So it’s really made of composite material to build that vehicle with magnetic propulsion and levitation system.”
What Is The Development Plan?
Sebastien Gendron shared, “Part of our development plan, which is kind of over the next 3 to 5 years to reach commercialization and then primarily preliminary work in in Alberta in this is our first, I would say, infrastructure project. We signed in 2020 a memorandum of understanding with the Alberta government to develop our first, I would say, line between Calgary and Edmonton.”
He added, “And for those who follow a bit, the and I am glad that we have a former prime minister of Canada here in the audience. The Alberta government just announced last year a transportation plan to define their mobility plan up to 2020 60. And the the other report can see ongoing, which is due for this summer with a decision the committee to take this fall.
Gendron added, “So starting this fall, we we transport may be selected to be the project connected Edmonton to Calgary which means for us that we could start construction in 20 as soon as 2026. To do that, we already secured a half a billion dollars of funding to build the test track to connect the Edmonton Airport to the city of Edmonton.
And the others, you need every taxpayer’s money to make it work. So we want to avoid that. When we started transport and one way to make a better business case is actually to mix with freight so our line can transport both time sensitive freight and passengers, which makes the business case much better. And then you can attract private funding to build those infrastructure.”
‘We Also Have Some Good Conversation In The UAE’
Sebastien Gendron at the NXT Conclave said, “Texas is showing interest to build a line to connect Dallas to the Mexican border, Dallas, Austin, Santo Antonio and Laredo. We also have some good conversation in the UAE for those who follow. Again, this ecosystem. The UAE just decided to build a nice speed train to connect Abu Dhabi and Dubai. However, there’s still some need to build a freight line between those two cities to connect the two airports and being more efficient in terms of moving goods.
He added, “And of course, there’s Saudi Arabia. We also have a former and we have, I would say, a former prime minister of Australia in the room. And Australia is also showing lots of interest. We started to work with the airport of Melbourne, is looking to connect the airport and then maybe down the road, connect Melbourne to Sydney and again it’s to bring private sector funding to that as a conclusion and to refer to what’s been said before.
It’s really important as a country wants to lead to walk the talk today China is leading the pack there are they invested and they know that if you want to be a leading country, you need to be able to take a bit of risk and develop new new technologies in order to be a leader in that new field in the next few years.”
About NXT Conclave:
As nations navigate complex economic landscapes, rapid technological advancements, and the urgency of sustainability, NXT Conclave 2025 served as a catalyst for action. Designed to accelerate innovation, influence global policymaking, and foster strategic collaborations, NXT will play a defining role in shaping the future of industries, economies, and societies.
More than just a summit, NXT drove tangible action. Attendees will witness game-changing product debuts, pioneering research presentations, and policy frameworks set to influence industries and governments worldwide. Live demonstrations of next-generation AI, quantum computing, and transformative technologies will offer a glimpse into the future.
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The inaugural NXT Conclave 2025 will bring together some of the most influential global leaders, with Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi as the Chief Guest, reaffirming India’s leadership in global governance and innovation.
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