CLARA and Value Capture funding plan
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
This appears to be more of a string of real estate developments that happends to be tied together by HSR. The route connects the real estate already owned. There is no indication that this is the best route to connect the endpoints, or existing intermediate cities. This reminds me of FEC's Florida HrSR project. They are upgrading the line between Miami-WPB where they own the real estate around the three stations. However, beyond this they can't seem to sell the junk bonds to get to Orlando, where the airport controls the development. They also said they would need no tax money, but are looking for a $billion FRA loan.
Hey if it gets an HSR line built with minimal direct tax contributions, what's wrong with that? With HSR speeds, slightly longer routes that serve more potention population centers is a positive trade-off.
MidlandMike This appears to be more of a string of real estate developments that happends to be tied together by HSR. The route connects the real estate already owned. There is no indication that this is the best route to connect the endpoints, or existing intermediate cities. This reminds me of FEC's Florida HrSR project. They are upgrading the line between Miami-WPB where they own the real estate around the three stations. However, beyond this they can't seem to sell the junk bonds to get to Orlando, where the airport controls the development. They also said they would need no tax money, but are looking for a $billion FRA loan.
Note, that's an FRA "LOAN", which means it will be repaid, and though it technically is using tax dollars, it's not a direct funding agreement...so in essence the AAF is not using tax dollars to fund the Orlando extension, which by the way, if you have any spare change laying aroun I would heartily suggest you invest in...Orlando airport owing the development rights or not. I can guarantee once the service starts up you'll see billion dollar investment(s) on those properties(the airport authority isn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, trust me).
schlimm Hey if it gets an HSR line built with minimal direct tax contributions, what's wrong with that? With HSR speeds, slightly longer routes that serve more potention population centers is a positive trade-off.
I want the best possible route chosen because I am an HSR perfectionist!!!
Seriously, I just don't see this thing ever getting financed. It relies on all 8 cities being developed successfully. The only train trip I ever took in Australia was from Melbourne to Sydney. I can see why everyone lives along the coast. A line that is not built on the optimum route, will forever be a higher cost to operate line. The optimally located line is as likely to attract population as a more roundabout route.
Mr. McFarlane, I would love to see AAF expand to Orlando, and I don't really have a problem with the FRA loan. My concern is that Fortress Funds has had problems selling the bonds, which are rated as junk. Do you have any good news on the bonds?
MidlandMikeA line that is not built on the optimum route, will forever be a higher cost to operate line. The optimally located line is as likely to attract population as a more roundabout route.
You could say the same thing about the Amtrak 'second spine line' for the Northeast Corridor, with about the same level of understanding of financial considerations.
Of course a modern HSR line is going to have to be run where people haven't bid up the price, or restricted the accessibility, of the required land. It follows, just from the described material, that all the real estate that is to be developed needs to start at very low assessed value ... and be bid up entirely de novo to almost ridiculously high rates, which pretty well means Garden City-like PUDs developed in whatever practical phases the financing can be made to support.
The argument that physically longer lines have relatively less 'importance' to HSR routing (compared to their physical optimization for high-speed operation) is as important as the argument that HSR peak grade means comparatively little in sections very close, or relatively far away, from stations. It's cute to be a "perfectionist" and hold out for the 3 to 6 minute improvement in end-to-end timing that eliminating the big curve from Hartford to NYC via the Long Island route would confer... but are enough people riding the high-speed train from Boston to Washington going to care about that specific time saving to make that their reason to switch modes? The same is true for a longer route that reduces first cost, very likely for any HSR-graded route between the Australian cities.
The argument about "all eight cities needing to be developed successfully" is much more important, in part because of the likely unanticipated consequences on the other real-estate markets (and by extension, on real estate as a store of value in the general economy). Perhaps the Australian culture is better able to implement the required expansion (or see to it that the effects are sterilized, in the financial sense, effectively).
Other views
https://www.railpage.com.au/news/s/hsr-here-we-go-again?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=top-stories-this-week-on-railpage
https://www.railpage.com.au/news/s/land-deals-sealed-for-200bn-highspeed-eastcoast-rail-link?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=top-stories-this-week-on-railpage
Wasn't Sao Paulo, Brazil a "built from scratch" city created to house a burgeoning population? I think it's Brazil's biggest city today.
According to Wikipedia, Sao Paulo was founded in 1554 as the location of a Jesuit college.
Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, was founded in 1960.
Johnny
Deggesty According to Wikipedia, Sao Paulo was founded in 1554 as the location of a Jesuit college. Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, was founded in 1960.
Brasila is one of the nastiest cities I've ever visited. No organic life at all, way over planned. No mass transit until a couple of years ago.
Thanks for the correction.
I remember reading how "new town" planners, living in their ivory towers, would forget to leave room for cemeteries and other real-life things in their grand plans.
BuslistBrasila is one of the nastiest cities I've ever visited. No organic life at all, way over planned. No mass transit until a couple of years ago.
Corb during one of his less sensible periods, built to a price, maintained by low-rent civil servants. Not a pretty picture in any real respect
Overmod Buslist Brasila is one of the nastiest cities I've ever visited. No organic life at all, way over planned. No mass transit until a couple of years ago. Corb during one of his less sensible periods, built to a price, maintained by low-rent civil servants. Not a pretty picture in any real respect
Buslist Brasila is one of the nastiest cities I've ever visited. No organic life at all, way over planned. No mass transit until a couple of years ago.
I've been told that it has the highest suicide rate among single females in the world.
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