High Speed Rail to your observatory!

[glend (Glen)]

Interesting that the discussion about high speed rail is finally focusing on the increase in property values that towns like Goulburn would enjoy if it was just a 30 minute train ride away from Sydney. Commuters can live further out. So surely this makes it feasible for many of us to live in a dark location and still be able to commute to work, or if retired to have easy access to family and friends still stuck in the city.

Perhaps now is the time to buy that dark site property near the proposed corridor towns, or maybe the real estate guys are already factoring this into local pricing.

Story here: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...11-go3gxj.html

Or will this just increase light pollution in these towns as they grow to support the HSR commuters?

[traveller (Bo)]

The value capture model works in highly built up metro areas where property prices are high, but it is not suited for outer areas. This is because the model works on current land prices and not on the potential value of the land.
The fast train seems to run every four years in Australia, or whenever there is a federal election looming....

[MattT]

Ah yeah...the 'ol fast train thing...must be an election coming. Another 'bright' idea from the same bunch of clowns that gave us Tony Abbott as PM.

Never gonna happen....Lots of people live out of cities and train it in now.

[bugeater (Marty)]

The only possible justification they could make for HSR in Australia is that it will allow these regional areas to develop -> more light pollution.

I read an interesting article today suggesting it should be built for "strategic" reasons. Which is to say ignore the cost-benefit analyses that universally say it isn't worth it. Argue with that logic

[Larryp (Laurie)]

Originally Posted by MattT

Ah yeah...the 'ol fast train thing...must be an election coming. Another 'bright' idea from the same bunch of clowns that gave us Tony Abbott as PM.

Never gonna happen....Lots of people live out of cities and train it in now.

The other clowns have floated the idea on several previous occasions, too. Never going to happen.

[traveller (Bo)]

From Hawke through to Turnbull, same day, different headline (or something like that).

[AstralTraveller (David)]

While we're at it lets pipe water from the tropics to irrigate southern Australia and/or turn the top end into the foodbowl of Asia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNfGyIW7aHM

[AussieTrooper (Ben)]

The Silver Emu flies!