The Best is Yet to Be or Not to be - Reigniting the Future

Canada High Frequency Rail

The federal liberal government is proposing high-frequency rail, projected to cost between 6-12 billion. The high frequency proposal entails that the government would build new tracks along existing Via rail tracks and supply faster electric carriages/trains. This would cut service times between stations, increase the number of trains, and reduce delays. However it would not meet the definition of 'High Speed'

'The best is yet to be'

Line by poet Robert Browning in 'Rabbi Ben Ezra'

Complications | Bertha | Seattle's 'Bertha' Tunnel Project

By December 2013, Bertha had tunneled over 1,000 feet when the first complications arose. Bertha's cutting blades had struct a steel pipe which damaged them beyond repair. While the blades were being replaced, in early 2014, Bertha began overheating and inexplicably its main bearing seals were damaged.

Canada: No High Speed Rail

Canada remains the only G7 nation without high-speed rail, despite issuing studies highlighting benefits like economic growth and reduced emissions. Proposals, particularly in the Windsor-Quebec City and Calgary-Edmonton corridors, have stalled due to the high financial commitment that needs to be maintained ($6-40 billion).

Fiber Cable vs Copper Cable | NBN | Australia

Fiber (optic) cables transmit data using light where as Copper Cable uses electrical conduction. Speed of light is greater than the speed of electricity, so fiber optic cables have a higher transmission speed.

Cons | NBN | Australia

In 2020, approximately 35,000 premises remained unconnected to the NBN. More than 230,000 premises couldn't achieve the 25Mbps speed defined as "broadband" in Australia. The shift to FTTN meant that transmission speeds decreased. Concerns persist about high wholesale charges affecting retail prices, competition from emerging 5G networks, and connectivity issues in remote areas.

Pros | NBN | Australia

In 2022, the NBN connected over 11.86 million premises. The NBN supported Australia's digital activities, including streaming and remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Repairs and Restoration | Bertha | Seattle's 'Bertha' Tunnel Project

In December 2014, workers began digging a gap on the surface to lift the front end of Bertha for repairs and replacement. It was successfully lifted by March. Repairs escalated the cost of the project, but by December 2015, repairs were finished and Bertha dug through until it finished in April 2017, and the tunnel opened in February 2019.

FTTP vs FTTN Approaches | NBN | Australia

Initially, a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) approach was planned, meaning fiber cables would be used to connect to homes directly, but in 2013, the strategy shifted to a "multi-technology mix," emphasizing fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) and utilizing existing cable TV networks (copper cables) to reach the final premise in order to reduce costs and hasten the rollout.

National Broadbank Network, NBN | Australia

Megaproject in Australia to provide super fast, fiber based internet to 93% of its population initiated in 2009. On December 23, 2020, after 11 years of development, Australia declared its National Broadband Network (NBN) "built and fully operational," connecting over 11.86 million premises.

Megaprojects

Megaprojects are extremely-large scale construction and investment projects. Notable examples include public buildings, power plants, dams, airports, hospitals, seaports, bridges, highways, tunnels, railways, and many more

The Big Dig

The Big Dig was a massive infrastructure project in Boston initiated in 1991 to reroute and improve the existing highway system at interstates 90 & 93 which were designed before automobiles and therefore resulted in congestion during practice.

Why Canada can't have high speed | Canada High Frequency Rail

The National rail company of Canada, Via Rail, owns only 3% of the rail tracks its trains run on, so private rail companies have the right of way on the tracks. Because private trains will be running on the tracks, it is not possible for high speed trains to run on the same tracks. Canada is also rather sparsely populated. Because of the nation's low population density, high speed rails would likely not meet the demand to be profitable. Places that are densely populated in Canada would have to frequent at more stations, which would slow down high speed rail systems, diluting their purpose.

Bertha | Seattle's 'Bertha' Tunnel Project

To replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct elevated highway, Seattle initiated the two billion dollar construction of a 1.7 mile underground tunnel using the flagship tool in its arsenal - Bertha. Bertha as a 57.5 foot diameter tunnel boring machine built by Hitachi (Japan) specifically for the State Route 99 tunnel.

How local communities perceive mega projects | Megaprojects - An Anatomy of Perception | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02513625.2019.1630189#d1e727

UNNECESSARILY LONG research paper on the perceptions of local communities in regards to megaprojects, the research ends up produces results on its case study on Suramadu Bridge, but nothing substantial for megaprojects in general. Their findings are that local communities are surprisingly very supportive of megaprojects, and even more surprisingly, more because of the intangible benefits than the material ones. Results produced show that the local community feels benefited by the new 'profile' for the city and enjoys a sense of pride in its development [intangible benefits]. Locals are also bolstered by the material benefits including, improved quality of life, investor and business attraction and more amenities. Employment opportunities is another particular factor; construction work creates labour employment opportunities but it is noted that much of the employment is not taken by the locals, the final structure attracts tourists which allows opportunities for informal employment (souvenir selling). And then the researchers note that the results might be specific for the particular case of the Suramadu Bridge