GT: Federal Election

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by peter12

Lots of foreign workers riding stationary bikes hooked up to Tesla batteries in warehouses set in rural Manitoba.

They'd be unionized at least though, right?

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Say the money for all these high speed rail lines just falls out of the sky. How are we powering these things if we aren't doing any sort of extraction from the earth?

Aren't the ones in Europe electric?

[Coach]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Say the money for all these high speed rail lines just falls out of the sky. How are we powering these things?

Unicorn farts, aren't you paying attention?

It'd be nice if it could be a vehicle for figuring out magnet trains.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Aren't the ones in Europe electric?

I believe so, even our C-trains are (They claim all from wind power I believe). But a high speed one, they take a lot of juice

[Slava]

Originally Posted by MattyC

But where are you getting your "not enough demand" issue from?

The air travel between the cities IMO is not a good measurement, as part of the reason I think HSR should exist is that it's too expensive for a lot of people as it is.

The car travel can't be used either, as there is a whole section of people that won't drive because it's too far, or too dangerous (esp in the winter), costs too much (gas) etc...

I just think the demand for this type of system is unseen because the people that would use it may not be using either other method right now.

What do you think a train from Calgary to Edmonton would cost...$250-300? I don't know, but that is my guess. In order to be viable that cost sounds about right. You can fly for the same amount today, and its faster. You can drive or take Red Arrow for cheaper and a little longer. I don't know how much pent-up demand there is really.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by peter12

Lots of foreign workers riding stationary bikes hooked up to Tesla batteries in warehouses set in rural Manitoba.

Lets move that from rural Manitoba to East Hastings Vancouver and we could potentially solve a homelessness problem as well. Plus the exercise might help Detox them at the same time and if we can find a loophole in minimum wage regulations you know, something along the lines of 'this cheese sandwich is technically worth a day's pay' then we can start solving a lot of issues!

There might be hope for this plan yet! And the fun fact is that that paragraph isnt even a fraction as insane as the Leap Manifesto.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Ahhh see now Resolute, we're having a discussion about possibilities and real impacts, not just throwing out words like naive and communist and unsustainable, with nothing behind them.

I take your points for sure. I was using ballpark two-way fares for the thought on costs, but your point is still valid. I wonder if a system that maybe just connects the really MAJOR centres may be a better thought. Like a VAN-EDM-CGY line and a ONT-QC line?

I do think there is an element to "if you build it, they will come" here, and that is that, as it stands, drive or air are our only options. Don't you think that if it was possible to get to Vancouver in 4 hours by train from Calgary, that people wouldn't use it just because it's there? Was there a huge demand for planes when they first started to pop up? Could everyone afford to use them? Did plenty of airlines rise and fail? Yes. And yet, it is now our most preferred method of travel. I think there's a big market of people that would use a HSR and would create high mobility between our major cities that doesn't exist now. Just because private industry hasn't deemed it profitable enough to venture into yet, doesn't mean it can't be. I need to dig through some comparables for cities that are similar distances apart that have HSR and see what the costs are like. But yes, in this instance, I do think that creating the supply (the trains) will open up more demand than some people seem to think for travel between cities. What holds up the travel between cities now is airline cost and distance. I think HSR could be a happy medium between these things.

You would need evidence that unsubsidized it is cheaper than flying or driving (including roadway cost). Otherwise flying is the most economic way to get somewhere. I'd have to pull the alberta studies again but I don't think rail was cheaper than airlines from Calgary to Edmonton for the greenfield high speed option.

I think that the pipelines are bad argument is completely flawed. We aren't investing in pipeline infrastructure. We are allowing private dollars to create pipeline infrastrcutre. If at some point in time it becomes obsolete the Canadian government is out nothing. The private company takes a loss.

In the interim you reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and decrease leakage to the environment. You do reduce the cost of oil to market by a dollar or two so you do marginally delay the cost at which renewables make sense. If you want to limit oil production, limit oil production. Pipelines still make sense as the way to transport any oil that is produced. The government should not subsidize pipelines but as long as oil is allowed to be extracted we should allow companies to transport it in the safest possible manner.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Locke

Lets move that from rural Manitoba to East Hastings Vancouver and we could potentially solve a homelessness problem as well. Plus the exercise might help Detox them at the same time and if we can find a loophole in minimum wage regulations you know, something along the lines of 'this cheese sandwich is technically worth a day's pay' then we can start solving a lot of issues!

There might be hope for this plan yet! And the fun fact is that that paragraph isnt even a fraction as insane as the Leap Manifesto.

Let's write the SHEEP Manifesto, and try to take over the NDP grassroots. The principles will change somewhat, but the relentless drive for power will remain the same.

[btimbit]

I like where this is going.

Lets start out own radical federal party, there's some money to be made here. I'm not convinced at this point that that's all the NDP is after, exploiting stupid people like they do. Time for our own piece of the pie. Just like the NDP, we'd be screwed if ever actually elected, but it'd be a fun ride

[peter12]

Also, we'd be more honest, and thus, restore Canadian's faith in democracy.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by rubecube

We won't even build a ####ing bridge from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. The clowns out here would never go for a rail connecting Vancouver to Calgary.

Giant bridge near a major fault line. What could go wrong?

[peter12]

A bridge from Vancouver to Vancouver Island!!? That's like 115 km. Isn't Confederation Bridge like 12 km?

[Fuzz]

This thread is full of crazy ideas right now....

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

This thread is full of crazy ideas right now....

All of them solved by the simple invention of the transporter.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

This thread is full of crazy ideas right now....

And yet still saner than the ol' Leap Manifesto.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

All of them solved by the simple invention of the transporter.

True. The best way to save the species would be to funnel all available resources into teleportation.

[puckedoff]

Originally Posted by peter12

Also, we'd be more honest, and thus, restore Canadian's faith in democracy.

We could Make Canada Great Again

[Coach]

Remember when Tesla's idea of wireless communication and an interconnected planet was a crazy idea?


Good times.

[burn_this_city]

Pinning all our hopes of teleportation seems a tad optimistic.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Pinning all our hopes of teleportation seems a tad optimistic.

One might even say its an idea that isnt grounded in reality.