Kalistan

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Crown Princess Carolina Champions new Metro Subway
Her Highness lends a Civil Engineer's Eye to Kundrati Proposal
Kaliburg Free City, Ananto
July 25, 5571


Crown Princess Carolina looks over Kundrati Proposals for Subway system in Kaliburg

Her Highness, the Crown Princess Carolina Ananto-Hulanavek has adopted the cause of creating a metro subway for Kaliburg.  If built, this will be the first subway system in Kalistan's history.  But the prospect of such a civil engineering marvel is reportedly "very interesting" to the Crown Princess.

"I have spoken to Her Imperial Majesty with regard to the plans that our Kundrati collegues have developed," said Her Highness, the Crown Princess.  "At first she was understandably skeptical.  Kaliburg has a history of very destructive seismic activity, and the safety of passengers and users was of course first and foremost of her concerns.  However, at an informal audience with the Engineers from Kundrati University and Kasaema, We were able to show her how underground tunnels can be reinforced and fitted for earthquakes, along with additional safety measures that could allow people to get to safety in the event of an earthquake.  I think she is coming around."

The Crown Princess assisted the visiting Kundrati students and civil engineers as part of her course work at Kaliburg Polytechnic.  "We had an independent study in Urban Planning, and I was in luck when I learned of the visiting Kundratis, who had come to Kalistan on their own initiative to offer their services.  It was fun to get to know the Artanians and to get a little news from back home."  The Crown Princess got to get her hands dirty as a survey crew chief on the proposed "Crosstown" line, where she oversaw a survey crew of 5 men and women.  She was also able to enlist six of her classmates from Polytechnic to work with the Kundratis on the project over the spring and summer.

"It would be very exciting to oversee such a project as building an entire metro system from nothing," said the Crown Princess.  "And knowing that it is possible to outfit these subways and elevated lines to prepare for any possibility makes it all that much more plausible.  My only hope is that we can get started soon:  this is a project that Kaliburg will certainly benefit from."

Most of the lines in Imperial City, Chancellory, Ellysia and Zappa City will be buried deep underground.  "This is where the soil is stablest and the bedrock is closest to the surface," said the Crown Princess.  "This is a good foundation to build tunnels into, and there are no faultlines in this area, so the engineers believe it is the safest area to drill the massive tunnels necessary to allow for the passage of high speed subway trains."  The Crown Princess described various safety measures in the tunnels.  "The entire system will be electrified, so in the event of a quake, the power to the train will shut off, and it will coast to a halt.  At this point, the trains can power themselves with onboard battery units that will bring them to the nearest station, and in the event of a tunnel collapse, the engineers think of surface access about every three hundred feet, so it is very likely that all passengers can be safely evacuated."

Lolla, Gallo and Capitol Hill will be primarily elevated.  "This is the densest part of Kaliburg, and elevating the lines will not only ensure that as many people as possible can get access to the system, but will also allow for Traffic to continue to flow unimpeded," said the Crown Princess.  "In the Mall area, we still have street cars, and those can be a pain sometimes if you have to get across the street and the roads are crowded.  Elevated lines do not stop traffic, because they just flow right underneath them."  The Crown Princess noted that all lines will employ magnetic levitation technology, though the local trains will travel at a much slower rate of speed than the National Rail does.

"The Kundrati plans even have a line going out to Wilson Hill," said Crown Princess Carolina.  "At first the suggestion that there would be a train stop less than a mile away from my house caused my mother a bit of apoplexy.  However, I reminded her that it would most likely serve West Igloo more than Wilson Hill, as few people even live on the Hill anymore, and you are more likely to meet deer and coyote there than you are to meet a person."  Over all the Kundrati plan puts the entire city into a "less than one mile radius" to a Metro stop, and also links with the National Rail at Kaliburg Station, as well as crossing most bus routes.

"The Kundrati students were very thorough in their planning," said Crown Princess Carolina.  "I had the chance to see the plans up close and provide data for traffic flows and potential usage projections.  I think its a fantastic project whose time has come, and I will continue to lobby pretty hard for it with my mother's Government."

The Crown Princess said she hopes to work directly on the project when she finishes school in a year.  "My mother may have other plans for me by then," said the Crown Princess.  "But I think I will be able to find time in the schedule.  Especially if I can help bring this dream to life!"  It seems that the Crown Princess has become the greatest champion of metro transit.  "When we finish Kaliburg, I propose bringing a subway to Sulari next!"