I will be pleasantly surprised if this is finished in my lifetime. How long have past governments discussed this topic? Is this the farthest we’ve gone in getting it built so far?
Why do we have such pathetic passenger trains in Canada? VIA is a useless expensive boondoggle, and we tear up existing rail lines to put “landscaping ties” in exec yards. What gives?
What happened to faster, cheaper sleeper trains à la EU?
Rail does not make rich people richer.
This is what’s important to understand: in the neoliberal mindset, if something does not make rich people richer, it doesn’t get done. Everything we do, and certainly every new endeavour, is about making rich people richer. Oh, there are some legacy services here and there from another era when governments actually did things, but you can be certain we’ll sell or outsource anything that isn’t nailed down.
Government exists to enforce the property rights of capital, and to direct tax dollars to the rich. That’s it.
