Wonder what the new Minister thinks of HSR?
Yeah, I think this is the one file that they will continue along in the exact manner of the previous government. As you say, any spending on this can be deferred for a long time (some might say forever) the Wynne led Liberals got two full elections out of having this promise out there (one was a winner one was a loser but I don't think anyone blamed HSR for the loss).HSR is not an immediate fiscal challenge, that's a problem for the next premier. Ford will string along anything he believes will get him a vote, and possibly find ways to defer paying for it out 10+ years from today.
[Chief Via Rail Executive Yves Desjardins-Siciliano] also suggested that the province of Ontario would confirm its intent by April next year to proceed with construction of a new alignment for passenger trains between Toronto and London. While this has been referred to as a high speed line, Desjardins-Siciliano suggested that the maximum operating speed would ‘not be much more than 200 km/h’, reflecting a need for inter-city trains to stop at least every 100 km to serve a densely populated region. ‘At present we are dependent on using freight trackage, but infrastructure in North America is fundamentally unsuited to passenger rail operations.’
He believed that some private sector funding would be needed to complete the second phase between London and Windsor. ‘Canada is attractive to institutional investors because of its economic health and geopolitical stability. Canadian pension funds have already invested in rail infrastructure projects around the world.’
https://www.railwaygazette.com/news...eded-under-c6bn-via-rail-investment-plan.html
ViaRail but I found this part interesting:
The way he is talking about this is like the HSR for Ontario will somehow be involved with Via. Like Via will operate it or be in partnership. Or maybe he is just speaking off hand about another project unrelated to VIA. Either way its weird to hear him speculate about this.
Love this part: "Canada is attractive to institutional investors because of its economic health and geopolitical stability. Canadian pension funds have already invested in rail infrastructure projects around the world."
So if that is the case, then why are Canadian Pension Funds so timid and or afraid of investing in Via/HSR rail network? It really makes one ponder what is the issue and what is preventing them from doing so if they are so much more inclined to fund overseas projects.
China's political system is simply much better suited for doing megaprojects effectively and efficiently. If the central government wants something done, it gets passed down to lower level governments like an order.Here's a video about why China is so good at building railways and a brand spanking new HSR network within the span of two decades. It's a nice summary of what is going over there and makes one think about where we (provincially and nationally) are in terms of focus.
ahem *political will*
And they can print money like it is nothing.China's political system is simply much better suited for doing megaprojects effectively and efficiently. If the central government wants something done, it gets passed down to lower level governments like an order.
And they can print money like it is nothing.
Like it or not, the Markets like it:And they can print money like it is nothing.
China Inflation Rate | 2018 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast | News
https://tradingeconomics.com › China
Nov 9, 2018 - China's consumer price inflation stood at 2.5 percent year-on-year in October 2018, unchanged from the previous month's seven-month high ...
Sounds like my idea I mentioned a few years ago. Add a small token 225kph(ish) section to a mostly 177kph network, use some bullety EMUs, and call it HSR for marketing's sake.The way he is talking about this is like the HSR for Ontario will somehow be involved with Via. Like Via will operate it or be in partnership. Or maybe he is just speaking off hand about another project unrelated to VIA. Either way its weird to hear him speculate about this.