Grand Punk Railroad...late...

So yeah, the blog ain't nearly daily anymore. It's more "nearly weekly".

Who am I kidding, "nearly bi-monthly"...

But anywho, one of the news tidbits being overwhelmed by coverage of protesting truckers and private-jet-set MP's has been the resurgent discussion of some form of rail transport in the capital area. The two most mentioned options are for a train between the international airport at Keflavík and Rvk, as well as light rail throughout the city.

Now, I am allllll for this idea. It makes sense. Rail (especially electric rail) is one of the cleanest, most efficient methods of transport there is. But this piddling little plan pales in comparison to what I'd attempt, given a couple squillion króna and near-dictatorial powers (insert irony here).

I'd start by building a single line of elevated freight capable monorail from Keflavík, through
Hafnafjöður, Garðarbær, Kópavógar, Reykjavík, Móssfellsbær, and on up to Akranes, where said line would then head off into the scenic highlands for an express run up to Akureyri. After that, the system would begin to spread around the coast of the country eventually making a big bisected circular route linking most of the major and minor towns and cities of the country.

Why?

Because it could be run on a combination of micro-hydro, wind, and geothermal power, making it about the cleanest transportation one can get.

Because it could travel at sustained speeds of 150km or faster.

Because being elevated, and hence making use of pre-fab adjustable supports delivered by the train itself, it would be quicker than even road building (not to mention it could in many cases parallel existing right of ways) and have a minimal impact on the landscape, not to mention farmer's sheep. Elevating the train also helps solve the problem of heavy snow, and a train mounted around the rail rather than sitting on it is highly unlikely to derail, even in the winds that Icelanders like to use as an excuse for boring square farm houses without covered porches and under use of wind turbines.

Because it would cut down on accidents, injuries and fatalities, as well as wear and tear on the roads. It would be more reliable than air transport (prone to weather cancellations) trucking/busing (ditto, plus collisions), and seaborne shipping (weather, and lots and lots of oil, though I refuse to believe that with all the tech we've got today that an efficient and reliable sail-powered cargo ship is so damned impossible...).

It would draw tourists in like an strip-club across the street from an all-boys school.

It would enable people to re-populate Iceland's rapidly emptying country side without emptying their wallets at the pump and risking their lives on icy roads crammed with semi-trailers. It would improve prospects for domestic agriculture (pig and chicken farmers could still supply the methane for the truckers to deliver the goods to and from the freight yards) and light industry, who would have cheap and efficient transport to market.

And most importantly, it would be a major step in making Iceland the first sustainably energy self-sufficient Western nation on Earth. Which would be good for our economy, our security, and our image.

All three of which are being much-debated in the rook's house at the moment.

If I wasn't convinced that it would make me evil, I'd fuckin' run for Parliament for that.