Kalistani Major History

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RailSul completes first highspeed track between Sulari and Dana
Signals beginning of new monumental infrastructure Building period
Sulari, Suldanor
August 15, 5327


RailSul's new line from Sulari to Dana offers up to 40 passengers the chance to make the 85 mile trip in just under 20 minutes

RailSul, the public-private partnership between RailKalistan and various Kalistani investors, including KalEnCon, has inaugurated passenger and commuter service between Sulari and Dana. The rail uses the new magnetic levitation technology that the Republic has been working over the last 10 years, and can propel the train on a single track at speeds over 290 miles an hour.

"We are super excited to begin operating this train system," said RailSul Chief of Development Ron Reynolds. "With this service, we can operate three trains an hour, both to and from Dana, each carrying up to 40 passengers. This will open up whole new opportunities for commuters, shoppers and travelers. And it is just the beginning. RailSul is coordinating with Odufaray and Vrassa to build a network that covers these three districts, and aims to stretch one day between Port Swedes and Yoshimi. We obviously are not there right now: This track covers a mere 85 miles. But it is a start and as this route becomes profitable, we will launch our next round of capital generation to Bisstec and Ulsur City in the south and Kluptoon to Dana's north.

The technology behind MagLev trains involves superconductor magnets maintained at low temperatures

Reynolds explained the technology behind the MagLev trams. "It would be easy to describe these trains as a box with 4 magnets sitting over two long magnetic strips. But this would not be entirely accurate. It is slightly more complicated than this. For example, the magnets require super cooling to maintain their conductivity- Developing this technology required significant assistance from KalEnCon. While we were beginning our experiments with magnetic levitation, other countries around the world, like Indrala, Talmoria, Solentia, Hobrazia and etc had all developed, at one point or another the technology. It is widely available but it requires a fairly massive investment in infrastructure. Kalistan's time has come: We have the technology, we have the infrastructure investment, and we have the political will to move forward with this monumental project." The construction of the 85 miles of track between Sulari and Dana cost RailSul close to 8.2 billion KRB to build. "That number is daunting," said Reynolds, "especially when you consider that Mainland Kalistan is close to 20 times that length, and that's assuming a straight line, which Kalistan is not. Fully capitalized, a single line from Port Swedes to Yoshimi would cost the Republic about 100 billion KRB to complete the project, which is why we have split it up over 30 years, and are welcoming private capital investment to cover the other 61 billion that the rail system will need to complete this project."

Reynolds however remained optimistic. "Sticker shock aside, we will see real economic benefits to both Sulari and Dana from the completion of this line, as well as returns on the investment. We can keep prices reasonable through generous price supports, to allow commuters to utilize this line, and will begin turning a profit in year three, we anticipate, based on usage projections. Additionally, we could incur cost savings once the NSP gets up to speed on construction, which will significantly reduce costs of construction. It is a big project, but it is not impossible. It is now no longer even improbable."

The new RailSul Sulari-Dana line opened a week ago and is already operating at about 40 percent max capacity, with round trip tickets running at about 120 KRB per, and monthly unlimited use passes selling for about 2200KRB. The cost is relatively less expensive than commuter airlines which transport hundreds of passengers a week between Dana and Sulari, and may have to consider lowering prices to compete with the train. The ticket cost of the Dana-Sulari line is expected to dramatically decrease as more users begin using it, and could go as low as 70 KRB, with monthly unlimited use passes coming in around 1500 KRB for round trip by the beginning of next year.