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High-Speed Rail (HSR) - Toronto/Pearson/Kitchener/London
It probably has to do with the scope of the project (this is an absolutely massive undertaking).

But, I agree, that's really a long time. China built like 20,000 km of HSR in 10 years.
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I suspect China isn't quite as concerned with environmental assessments (or, arguably, health and safety).
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(05-21-2017, 10:58 PM)DHLawrence Wrote: I suspect China isn't quite as concerned with environmental assessments (or, arguably, health and safety).

Though to be fair, a lot of the "environmental assessment" process here really is a "consult (and try to appease) all possible affected parties". I'm not sure that we have the right balance of how much effort and time is spent on that, versus getting started sooner.
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Just out of curiosity why would they not consider putting it down the 401 corridor. If folks sitting in bumper to bumper traffic see something go by at 250+ kph it might motivate them out of the car. Plus most cities have been building infrastructure around the 401 for 50 years. It would not take much for our LRT to go to sports world. Just my thoughts.
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(05-22-2017, 09:08 AM)Rick O\Shay Wrote: Just out of curiosity why would they not consider putting it down the 401 corridor. If folks sitting in bumper to bumper traffic see something go by at 250+ kph it might motivate them out of the car. Plus most cities have been building infrastructure around the 401 for 50 years. It would not take much for our LRT to go to sports world. Just my thoughts.

I’m pretty sure a train going at 250km/h can’t take a lot of the curves of the 401. That’s not to say that a route closer to the 401 is impossible, but simply going down the 401 corridor isn’t as simple as one might imagine from looking at a straight section.
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More over a key benefit of HSR over flying is that it delivers you to the city Centre where you actually want to go as opposed to the outskirts of the city where the airport and 401 are. Transit down expressways is a common cheap idea that is often also poor value.
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(05-22-2017, 09:41 AM)ijmorlan Wrote:
(05-22-2017, 09:08 AM)Rick O\Shay Wrote: Just out of curiosity why would they not consider putting it down the 401 corridor. If folks sitting in bumper to bumper traffic see something go by at 250+ kph it might motivate them out of the car. Plus most cities have been building infrastructure around the 401 for 50 years. It would not take much for our LRT to go to sports world. Just my thoughts.

I’m pretty sure a train going at 250km/h can’t take a lot of the curves of the 401. That’s not to say that a route closer to the 401 is impossible, but simply going down the 401 corridor isn’t as simple as one might imagine from looking at a straight section.

My best memory of my first trip to France was driving North from Paris toward Brussels... and watching a TGV blow by us like we were standing still. I think my friends went deaf from my squeal of excitement. HSR next to roads is the best.
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(08-13-2017, 10:30 AM)BrianT Wrote: Hyperloop Transit    http://east.morningblueprint.com/en/2017...ality.html

Lots of claims of higher speeds, etc, but it's a completely untested technology. We need to have expectations of, very likely, lower performance and higher cost than initially cited.
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I strongly urge anyone who has faith in Hyperloop becoming a thing to familiarize themselves with the history of magnetic levitation in general.



(Part 2 here: https://youtu.be/FWEV0vxqul8 )

Japan is spending trillions of dollars building a single magnetic levitation line between Tokyo and Osaka. I visited the test track - and it was built like 20 years ago and they're still developing it. The best minds are on it.

I love Elon Musk - I really do. But how can he think that he can just snap his fingers and change everything? Why does he think he can magically do better than decades of real engineering in Germany and Japan?

What he's doing with SpaceX is incredible, and I'm convinced he'll get to Mars before NASA. But all he's done with Hyperloop is deflect actual political (and worse - public) interest away from viable, proven, existing technology that should be implemented now. My fear is that real HSR projects could be delayed or cancelled with the mindset of "oh, let's just wait for Hyperloop".

If Transrapid had become a thing (and it crushes me that it didn't, beyond the SMT), look how long it took. Hyperloop (or something hyperloop-ish) might one day transport people. But it won't be in 2 years. Maybe 100. Can you even imagine the certification and whole safety aspect? "Oh, oops - the door opened and everyone inside exploded. Too bad." Transport Canada won't even let us have a light rail like through a damn park!

Nothing changes quickly in the rail industry!
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(08-13-2017, 12:18 PM)Canard Wrote: Japan is spending trillions of dollars building a single magnetic levitation line between Tokyo and Osaka. I visited the test track - and it was built like 20 years ago and they're still developing it. The best minds are on it.
Trillions of yen, not dollars. Which is still on the order of tens or hundreds of billions of Canadian dollars.
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I'm with Canard. Simply running at RER speeds would get us a step closer, today, for a fraction of the cost. We can upgrade after that when we get used to building grade separations and updating the rail legislation.

In the scales we're looking, I'm not sure we even need hyperloop speeds or even maglev. A TGV at hundreds of kph would sort us quite handily (opinion).
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(08-13-2017, 12:18 PM)Canard Wrote: I strongly urge anyone who has faith in Hyperloop becoming a thing to familiarize themselves with the history of magnetic levitation in general.



(Part 2 here: https://youtu.be/FWEV0vxqul8 )

Japan is spending trillions of dollars building a single magnetic levitation line between Tokyo and Osaka. I visited the test track - and it was built like 20 years ago and they're still developing it. The best minds are on it.

I love Elon Musk - I really do. But how can he think that he can just snap his fingers and change everything? Why does he think he can magically do better than decades of real engineering in Germany and Japan?

What he's doing with SpaceX is incredible, and I'm convinced he'll get to Mars before NASA. But all he's done with Hyperloop is deflect actual political (and worse - public) interest away from viable, proven, existing technology that should be implemented now. My fear is that real HSR projects could be delayed or cancelled with the mindset of "oh, let's just wait for Hyperloop".

If Transrapid had become a thing (and it crushes me that it didn't, beyond the SMT), look how long it took. Hyperloop (or something hyperloop-ish) might one day transport people. But it won't be in 2 years. Maybe 100. Can you even imagine the certification and whole safety aspect? "Oh, oops - the door opened and everyone inside exploded. Too bad." Transport Canada won't even let us have a light rail like through a damn park!

Nothing changes quickly in the rail industry!

Nothing changes quickly in the rail industry because no one is willing to change quickly in the rail industry. 
All it takes is something like Uber or AirBnB to change the entire industry - wait for it - quickly...

I disagree with your mindset. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Where people flock, anything can happen. 
It's the 21st century, technology is expanding exponentially.
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I get what you're saying, Jordan, that Hyperloop would be an 'industry disruptor'. And it could be, IF it lives up to its promise - but I find that very unlikely, given the steep technological curve that needs to be overcome and the limitations that have been found by third parties looking over the proposals.

I remain highly skeptical, to say the least.
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Can infrastructure be disrupted by the gig economy? I can't see it. I'm not saying that because my limited imagination can't think it up that it therefore cannot exist, but both uber and airbnb are examples of the same central idea that doesn't seem to apply to infrastructure projects. (both are earning fractions of unused capacity that have already been built).

Maybe a Tesla/SpaceX-style "Some wealthy "idiot" is willing to front the cash to hurdle the initial spend and make it likely to succeed" approach would be more likely. A pity Lazaridis and Balsillie are more interested in spending it all on education instead of transit.

Ah well, one need at a time.
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D'Amato's very pessimistic view of yesterday's announcements:

https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/...fake-news/

... I do agree with some of it.
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