***The Official Rapid Rail Thread***

[desifemlove]

Is either " RAPID PREVAIL"
or
"RAPID FAIL"

so what we should do?

just have roads?

why not develop the economy? the country?

we does say we want to diversify and be "first world economy"....don't UNC or PNM realise that most "first world" countries have advanced infrastructure. Zoom et al may be content wit box drains, but to be a wealthy country, some mass transit is a necessity.... Zoom and co. goh disagree, economic facts arent' opinions..

[Habit7]

UWI head backs Rapid Rail
By VERNE BURNETT Friday, October 9 2015

PRO Vice Chancellor and Principal of the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies, Professor Clement Sankat yesterday said he can only see benefits from the construction of the Rapid Rail Project. Saying he was speaking as the leader of the St Augustine campus, Sankat said he hoped the economics would support the project.

Professor Sankat was delivering greetings at the start of the Conference on the Economy (COTE) 2015 held at the Learning Resource Centre at St. Augustine.

COTE 2015 is dedicated to Professor Emeritus Karl Theodore, the current director of the Centre for Health Economics.

In honour of his lifetime of work on the issue of the economics of health in the Caribbean, the theme “Managing Development in Caribbean Economies: The Key Role of Health and Social Security,” was chosen for the conference.

Professor Sankat’s comments on the Rapid Rail followed some brief remarks made by Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Ann Marie Bissessar who spoke about the challenges of getting from her home in St.

Helena to the university campus because of the volume of traffic.

Professor Sankat said the problems of traffic gridlock have been with this country for fifteen to twenty years despite building more roads, highways and overpasses.

He said that he sometimes goes to the UWI Campus in Penal, Debe, noting that when he did he was travelling against the traffic but said he was still seeing traffic coming from South still backing up in Chaguanas and extending as far as Couva despite having the overpass.

He said when the Rapid Rail was being planned the university engaged the consultants because one of the biggest ridership is the university population at St. Augustine.

Noting that the population of the university had grown since then. He said there was a captive ridership of about 21,000 which he said was the biggest along the East-West Corridor “coupled with our inability to find parking spaces.” Professor Sankat said he hoped the economics could support the project “because from a very functional perspective and especially as the leader of the St.

Augustine Campus, I can only see benefits.” He said when the project was being conceptualised, the station for the Rapid Rail was going to be located at the southern entrance to the UWI campus on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway. He said this was the reason he was againat plans to locate a sewer plant for the university at the south entrance so that if a station was going to be built it would be built there.

He added that Rapid Rail and rail systems are not only about moving people. While that was important, he said the stations create a level of commerce that is overwhelming sometimes. “You go to a Rapid Rail station or a rail station or a subway station, it is a shopping mall. Could you imagine the benefits to our students and the population.” He said he was hopeful and always had a big vision for the development of the country to make it a truly world class, industrialised country. He said small countries such as Singapore had achieved this — they had invested.

“They don’t have as much resources as us, why can’t we do it?” He said ideally the investments should be made at a time when the country has resources “but even when we don’t have resources, you have to be creative.” He said while delivering an address recently to a group of engineers, he told them of the need to use innovative methods - design, finance, build, operate and eventually transfer. “I said there are countries around us in this region with less resources - challenging times - but still building their infrastructure.” He said for 40-50 years it was a nighmare to cross the Berbice River in Guyana until they built a bridge across the river and users paid a toll to cross. He added that Jamaica is building roads to Montego Bay and now to Ocho Rios. “And guess what? Jamaica in troubles but to use it, pay a toll.

The government didn’t have to put out any money. The designers, the builders and the operators do it and we will have to find a way to pay it back. What it says is the complete freeness if we want to grow this country, we want to develop it with the vision that we all have, modern, efficient, industrialised, we all have to contribute.”

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,218203.html

One principal of UWI criticised that staff are reluctant to go Debe Campus and he was called asinine. Another principal is for the RR, is he asinine too.

Also we have Kublalsingh seal of approval.

[Slartibartfast]

Habit if you for the RR system then I wouldn't highlight that kubs supporting it. BTW did he start back eating as yet?

[drchaos]

Did he ever stop?

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

Habit if you for the RR system then I wouldn't highlight that kubs supporting it. BTW did he start back eating as yet?

He claimed recently that he has made 300 days without eating or drinking anything.

I am pretty sure once this gets underway he will start back another hunger strike thing. The only difference is this time Rowley go let he dead.

[Zedenka]

For those who are interested how the train system was in the past:



The question i want to ask though, is 35mins from South to POS really that fast for a train? I thought it would have been about 15mins or so.

Also why did they discontinue using the train in the first place?

[zoom rader]

I guess a new feasibility study will be on the way and knowing PNM it's going to cost tax payers 1 billion for juss a paper study.

[Habit7]

The question i want to ask though, is 35mins from South to POS really that fast for a train? I thought it would have been about 15mins or so.

35mins if it stops at all the stations. But if there is an express line and there are bypasses for all the stops then at the average speed of 160kph then 15mins for a 40km journey.

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

Is 160km/h the highest speed this rapid rail can go? I was more thinking on the lines of 200km/h, is it because of the size of Trini and the necessary stops needed that it goes at only 160? or that is its limitation?

[Slartibartfast]

All bobol aside. 35 mins from South to Town sounds amazing!

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

All bobol aside. 35 mins from South to Town sounds amazing!

And that is rush hour in morning and evening eh. With stops at each major point to accommodate as much people as possible. People who traveling Chaguanas to POS go have it nice, go take them 14 minutes.

A car would take 3 hours in that traffic. And just imagine thats only because it has to make stops, this can do South to POS in 15 minutes in peak hours if it didn't make any stops

[Redman]

If the rapid rail is up and the traffic disappears....how long does it take to drive Sando/POS with no traffic??

40 mins?


Given the alternatives ....what makes the RR THE solution...???

All the other solutions are cheaper,more flexible and can be implemented now....

we need a Transportation Policy...multi modal and flexible.

[pete]

The traffic will never disappear. You will still have trucks etc on the road to slow everything down.

[zoom rader]

$100 a ticket for ride on racket rail.
PNM financiers making big money

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

$100 a ticket for ride on racket rail.
PNM financiers making big money

Actually its going to be something like $10. Its being subsidized by removing fuel subsidy, the RR isn't meant to be profitable it is meant to alleviate traffic and provide a world class public transport service which IMO should have been done ages ago.

I don't see how you can call it racket rail with PNM financiers making big money when UNC did the exact same thing with roads and box drains paying 400% more and you didn't mention anything about that.

[EmilioA]

The traffic will never disappear. You will still have trucks etc on the road to slow everything down.

Hmm Govt might want to invest in some cargo trains.

[EmilioA]

Also why did they discontinue using the train in the first place?

Car dealers pay off the Govt at the time. No joke.

[zoom rader]

$100 a ticket for ride on racket rail.
PNM financiers making big money

Actually its going to be something like $10. Its being subsidized by removing fuel subsidy, the RR isn't meant to be profitable it is meant to alleviate traffic and provide a world class public transport service which IMO should have been done ages ago.

I don't see how you can call it racket rail with PNM financiers making big money when UNC did the exact same thing with roads and box drains paying 400% more and you didn't mention anything about that.

You have facts you cover your claim that Box drains cost 400% more?

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

^ this is what Rowley and Rfari said and I have never known them to lie

[zoom rader]

^ this is what Rowley and Rfari said and I have never known them to lie

Sorry if you were misled by those two.

[EmilioA]

ZR right. Its not 400% overcharge. Its 200% overcharge. If they thing cost 1000 they paying 3000.

[Habit7]

If the rapid rail is up and the traffic disappears....how long does it take to drive Sando/POS with no traffic??

40 mins?


Given the alternatives ....what makes the RR THE solution...???

All the other solutions are cheaper,more flexible and can be implemented now....

we need a Transportation Policy...multi modal and flexible.

Well if your car gets you 9 litres per 100km and from Sando to POS is 50km currently, with a super gasoline vehicle you will it will cost about $30 per one way trip.

With the fuel subsidy currently removed, price of fuel may double and it cost $60 per one way trip.

With subsidy gone and oil back at +$100 per barrel we are talking again double the price so it is $120 a trip, $1200 a week, $4800 a month.

A train ticket might be $12, $15 or $20? Runs off of cleaner CNG electricity, safer, more reliable and multi modal. You can't ask for a multi modal transport policy and not have a mass transit system.

Also cheaper solutions are not always the best. Consider the Endeavour flyover, rather than expand the flyover or build another one, many piecemeal attempts to change traffic flow, add roundabouts, add bypasses and whatever else, and it still causes traffic congestion and lost manhours.

Let us get the best, let us get something that works, so that we won't have to add some other solution for the new problem created.

[Slartibartfast]

$100 a ticket for ride on racket rail.
PNM financiers making big money

You have facts you cover your claim that tickets will cost $100? Or you just talking out of the wrong sh!thole again?

[zoom rader]

Just think when laventille bandits stage an attack on a train. It's every man jack getting rob.

[Slartibartfast]

You still didn't answer my question tho. I now extend that previous question to this statement as well.

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

A train ticket might be $12, $15 or $20? Runs off of cleaner CNG electricity, safer, more reliable and multi modal. You can't ask for a multi modal transport policy and not have a mass transit system.

Let us get the best, let us get something that works, so that we won't have to add some other solution for the new problem created.

At max would cost $20 but most likely would be less, in reality for it to be profitable it needs to be $100 per ticket.

However Rowley did point out they want to subsidize it for the benefit of the people and not for them to make a profit, they just want to serve the people, this is what should have been done long ago. They can't price it too high if they want to serve the people. so long as it cheaper than using a vehicle is all that matters.

[bluesclues]

For those who are interested how the train system was in the past:



The question i want to ask though, is 35mins from South to POS really that fast for a train? I thought it would have been about 15mins or so.

Also why did they discontinue using the train in the first place?

aaahhhh i now coming to remind us about the train line. and ask the same question.

why was it discontinued?

[bluesclues]

All bobol aside. 35 mins from South to Town sounds amazing!

but is 35 mins from south to pos on a flowing highway driving the speed limit.

[VII]

"BRT BRT BRT" How many people here realize that BRT's are mainly feeder systems to other mass transit and countries with BRT also have many different levels of rail transport?

A temporary solution. Many BRTs are temporary
solutions until an LRT system is built. (See case
study below.)

BRT vs LRT ..

"The good and bad BRT"

[Slartibartfast]

All bobol aside. 35 mins from South to Town sounds amazing!

but is 35 mins from south to pos on a flowing highway driving the speed limit.

Yeah you try driving 80kmph during rush hour traffic and tell me how that goes.