3 ms·
IIRC large portions of China's high speed rail might be a boondoggle... so not sure that's the best example.
by unusualmonkey 3y ago
IIRC large portions of China's high speed rail might be a boondoggle... so not sure that's the best example.
- malermeister 3y agoI can't speak for all of it, obviously, but I've taken some of it and it seemed... pretty good? What's wrong with it?
- unusualmonkey 3y agoIt's losing billions of dollars. It's easy to make something people like... if you're willing to burn money.
- malermeister 3y agoInfrastructure is a public service that shouldn't need to make money, which is another reason why central planning is necessary for some things.
- seanmcdirmid 3y agoIt was funded privately, not publicly.
- marssaxman 3y agoThe US federal highway system loses tens of billions of dollars a year, doesn't it? Perhaps that is a boondoggle, too.
- seanmcdirmid 3y agoChina used private investment to fund its rail ways, so someone is going to take a loss on this, it won’t be the Chinese government.
- foofie 3y ago> It's losing billions of dollars. The US's roadway network is also a money pit. What's your point?
- foofie 3y ago> IIRC large portions of China's high speed rail might be a boondoggle... so not sure that's the best example. I think you need to revisit China's high speed rail. There was indeed a fair share of fraud and dubious construction options, but the end result was still the largest and most extensive high speed rail network in the world, and developed in record time. They have working world-class infrastructure, which in case of railway also has a big impact in national cohesion and nation-building. In the meantime, the US barely has conventional railway.