No monorail

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Mspec

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Topic # 146811 29-May-2014 18:43

I see that the Fiordland monorail project has been rejected. I actually thought it was a pretty feasible idea.

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Reply # 1056151 29-May-2014 18:44

It was a awesome idea

MikeB4

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Reply # 1056152 29-May-2014 18:46

I support the decision made

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RunningMan

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Reply # 1056153 29-May-2014 18:47

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I keep thinking of The Simpsons monorail episode every time I hear about it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge_vs._the_Monorail

mattwnz

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Reply # 1056167 29-May-2014 18:52

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Monorails are very expensive things to install, so it could have become a very expensive white elephant and the tax payer may have had to pay for it's removal if it failed. I think it was a very bad idea in the area that it was planned for, as it would have set a very bad precedent for our national parks. They don't have a place in those parts of NZ. They are a disneyland attraction after all, and we don't won't to themepark our national parks. But I think it could be an idea for Auckland or wellington CBDs. But they need to be well thought out, and actually go somewhere, and some cities don't have a good track record for settings these things up well. Look at auckland trams which don't go anywhere, or sydneys monorail, which is being removed.

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Reply # 1056169 29-May-2014 18:58

johnr: It was a awesome idea

With full 4G coverage all the way of course :)

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Reply # 1056171 29-May-2014 19:10

coffeebaron:
johnr: It was a awesome idea

With full 4G coverage all the way of course :)

Coil

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Reply # 1056192 29-May-2014 20:00

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johnr:
coffeebaron:
johnr: It was a awesome idea

With full 4G coverage all the way of course :)

5G

Knowing this county im going to throw 7G out there by the time a project like this is even done.

oxnsox

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Reply # 1056225 29-May-2014 20:46

Agree its the right decision. Part of the appeal of going to Milford Sound is that it doesn't have easy access. And last time I went (~1year) I found it way too overcrowded.
Restrict numbers so visitors really appreciate they're lucky to be able to go there..... and you'll be able to charge a premium so not loose income and provide a better experience for all visitors.

But I think todays decision has a lot of politics attached to it despite the apparently rational justification.

Geektastic

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Reply # 1056270 29-May-2014 22:30

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Presso: I see that the Fiordland monorail project has been rejected. I actually thought it was a pretty feasible idea.

It was awesome, but we don't like new-fangled modern ideas in these parts...!

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Reply # 1056288 29-May-2014 22:36

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oxnsox: Agree its the right decision. Part of the appeal of going to Milford Sound is that it doesn't have easy access. And last time I went (~1year) I found it way too overcrowded.
Restrict numbers so visitors really appreciate they're lucky to be able to go there..... and you'll be able to charge a premium so not loose income and provide a better experience for all visitors.

But I think todays decision has a lot of politics attached to it despite the apparently rational justification.

It's Milford Sound, not the moon!!

There are any number of not dissimilar places in Scandinavia and so on.

Yes it is very nice (although I think Doubtful is better) but really I don't think you can claim anyone is especially 'lucky' to go there.

When there are things like tunnels under Mont Blanc with no appreciable effect on the Alps and so on, I think we lose opportunities when decisions like this are made: the number of people visiting won't diminish but sooner or later a couple of coaches will collide and kill about 100 people and then it will all be 'should have built the monorail or the tunnel'...!

mattwnz

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Reply # 1056322 29-May-2014 23:38

Geektastic:
Presso: I see that the Fiordland monorail project has been rejected. I actually thought it was a pretty feasible idea.

It was awesome, but we don't like new-fangled modern ideas in these parts...!

You do realise that monorails are pretty old technology, so they are not exactly modern. I have lived in a cities with monorails, one tradtiona, and one suspended, and they really aren't all that great, they are pretty slow and the tracking is pretty ugly.

I think it was more difficult for them to get it approved in an election year, as anything to do with the environment it is potentially an election issue.
But the main problem sounds like it was due to what would happen if the business failed, and then you would be left with a white elephant that tax payers would need to bail out and pay for removal. If they had a contingency fund for funding removal, that was held in trust, then I suspect they may have looked at it differently. NZ does have to protect it's land, as much of NZs value overseas, with both products and tourism is our clean green image.

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Reply # 1056335 30-May-2014 07:06

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well Dunedin with its dying economy also rejected a 5 star hotel. I guess the fewer people trespassing the country the cleaner it stays

networkn

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Reply # 1056367 30-May-2014 09:37

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I couldn't understand this whole project, surely we need better transport options in our cities than worrying about 200M spent on a tourist attraction. If they spent that $200M on a rail option to the airport, that would make so much more sense to me.

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Reply # 1056390 30-May-2014 10:19

I didn't follow the entire history of the proposal but I didn't think the Govt was asked to provide any finance. But it was rejected based on the business case not stacking up.

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Geektastic

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Reply # 1056589 30-May-2014 15:18

mattwnz:
Geektastic:
Presso: I see that the Fiordland monorail project has been rejected. I actually thought it was a pretty feasible idea.

It was awesome, but we don't like new-fangled modern ideas in these parts...!

You do realise that monorails are pretty old technology, so they are not exactly modern. I have lived in a cities with monorails, one tradtiona, and one suspended, and they really aren't all that great, they are pretty slow and the tracking is pretty ugly.
I think it was more difficult for them to get it approved in an election year, as anything to do with the environment it is potentially an election issue.
But the main problem sounds like it was due to what would happen if the business failed, and then you would be left with a white elephant that tax payers would need to bail out and pay for removal. If they had a contingency fund for funding removal, that was held in trust, then I suspect they may have looked at it differently. NZ does have to protect it's land, as much of NZs value overseas, with both products and tourism is our clean green image.

Yes. But then 125mph intercity trains are also 'pretty old technology' and we have none of them either.

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