High speed rail: Tell ’em they’re dreamin’

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By Leith van Onselen

For years I have felt like a lone voice yelling into the wind decrying politicians’ idiotic plan to build a High Speed Rail (HSR) line linking the east coast capitals. Today, The Australian’s Judith Sloan has lent a hand, noting that HSR has only worked in a handful of countries, and Australia’s size and lack of population density makes it highly unsuited for such trains, as does its inability to finish big projects on time and within budget:

California’s high-speed rail project has been shelved after many billions of dollars have been spent on it.

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.