Kalistani Major History

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Ananto completes Maglev Network
Population and Economic Shift predicted for Grand Duchy
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 30, 5473


Ananto now has full Maglev Service across island

Completing the AnantoRail Line to Bozo River has been quite challenging, but the final miles of track have been laid and service finally innagurated, capping off a dream that has been something less than a National Obsession for generations. The AnantoRail line that connects Bozo River, Eveari, Dulnerstaad, Kaliburg, Luxon and Dah has finally been opened, and passengers have enthusiastically greeted the completion of this mighty infrastructural project.

"We are already seeing an increase in traffic between Eveari and Kaliburg, and between Luxon and Kaliburg," said AnantoRail CEO Michael Anderson. "The MagLev not only will encourage tourism beyond the Capital, but will free up the terrestrial lines for cargo traffic to improve distribution of goods and commodities arcoss the Duchy." Forecasts for the economic impact of the opening of the maglev passenger lines show a modest improvement of Ananto's economy, as more people can move outside of Kaliburg while still working in the Capital. "Dulnerstaad especially will see an improvement, both in access to jobs and services in Kaliburg, but also in services in Dulnerstaad, as more residents will drive increased demand for services." Eveari will only see a slight increase in population and services, but along with Luxon, should see a fairly major increase in tourism with new links to Kaliburg International Airport.

Dah is expected to grow too, as it is poised to be a major industrial and agriculture center in the near future. "Dah is already the center of the Agricultural industry in Ananto," said Anderson. "But the forecasts predict populations in Luxon shifting toward Dah to take advantage of the pro-growth climate of Ananto's Second City. As people can come and go a lot easier, we predict that Dah will experience a fairly dramatic growing period in the next 10 to 15 years."

The railline will also put pressure on the Grandy Duchy to finish the port expansion in Luxon. "We can imagine that there will be a push for Ananto to open a commercial port in Luxon," said Anderson, "but the city will most likely push back, because it wants to set itself up as a tourist destination. They already have the criminally undervisited Global Music Hall of Fame in Luxon, but the city boasts some of the best beach resorts on the Island, a beautiful natural harbor that was for centuries the ancient port of Ananto, and ancient 4000 year old ruins from the Anantonese Empire. The last thing Luxon will want to do is spoil the tourist potential with a commercial port. So far the Empress has been willing to let Luxon drag its feet on port expansion, but now that export potential can possibly dwarf tourist potential in the city, the Duchess may have to make a economic decision, rather than a sentimental one."

What is clear is that the face of the Grand Duchy of Ananto is about to change. It is doubtful that it will look the same after the transition catalyzed by the opening of the MagLev, but Ananto is ready for the change, and bringing the island into the modern Kalistani Era is a project that was long overdue.

For now, there is no more construction planned for the National Rail Line. Links with both Baltusia and Lodamun have been completed, and connection into Neveras and Vrassa City are also done. "This really is a major engineering feat," said Johnson. "We are very proud what we have completed here, over mountains, across rivers, through the Lucid Morass... It is certainly something to hold high in the pantheon of National Accomplishments. Now it is time to ensure high quality, safety, and comfort for our passengers. We are not done, by a long stretch."

Regular passenger traffic is ongoing from the Capital, and the National Line connects with City Transit that links AnantoRail into air, bus and ferry service to the Mainland.