Quote:
Originally Posted by Resolute 14
It is, unfortunately, a pipe dream.
You can fly to Edmonton in 45 minutes, or you can drive in under 3 hours for no greater cost than a high speed train would charge, and not be limited to arriving downtown.
There are just too many options that are either faster, cheaper or more versitile than a high speed train. Not nearly enough people would use it to justify the cost.
|
unfortunately it isn't a 3 hour drive or a 45 minute plane trip. downtown to downtown can easily stretch over 3 depending upon construction and volumes on the roads, and 45 minutes airfare doesn't take into account the 30 minute drive to leduc on the one side or the 1 hour pre board wait at either end. or the 20 minute drive to/from downtown Calgary depending upon time of day. what used to be a nice 2.5 hour drive is now longer than that.
for my travel, it is close enough that my decision over whether to drive or fly tends to be based upon what i will be doing at either end...and the expense hit of course to my employer.
my interest in high speed would be to reduce the travel time, offset other transportation costs, reduce other infrastructure expenses, and improve intra-provincial travel.
if this is just a train, then i don't see the benefit. if it can do the trip much faster than driving, then it is something that i would like to see fully investigated.
above all, it has to make economic sense, not just because people might anecdotally like to see it. (and yes i do totally see the irony of me hehheh relating how i might like to see it)
there are plenty of examples where government operates businesses at a loss for "greater public good", however i wouldn't think this would be one of them. with the money being thrown around by various political parties, it is hard not to think that one will throw this out at some point in exchange for votes.