[OldDeckHand]

It is amazing how quickly things may be built when you don't have to worry about appeasing the environmentalist. It's as simple as that.

[PGR88]

The irony is that Mao broke down everyone and everything to turn them into servants of the State - which is serving them very well at this point in their Capitalist development.

[Little Pig]

It’s even more amazing how fast you can get things done when you don’t have to worry about OSHA, quality control, or proper design. Even if I were ever to travel to China, I won’t ride this thing until I’ve seen 5-6 years of successful, minimally accident-prone operation.

[Scythian]

China is doing incredible things while we rot and decay ...

[GonzoGOP]

I have to admit that I love the station architecture. Bright and open with the trains right out on center stage, not shoved into a dark basement like they are at Union Station here in Chicago. The Chinese measure their success by the things they build, and they are justly proud of their feats of engineering. Where we turn out ethnic studies graduates they turn out electrical engineers.

I worry most about adversaries that are builders. The fanatics burn out, you can outlast them like we did with the Russians. The thieves destroy themselves. But the builders grow stronger with every day that goes by.

[WhatNot]

Paying the workers 60 cents an hour is also a big help, in getting things built quickly and on budget.

[bikerman]

It is amazing how quickly things may be built when you don’t have to worry about appeasing the environmentalist and union workers.(Fixed)

[prophetic]

I also note that there were no UNION Thugs/Leeches getting their 25% cut on this deal and drawing this construction out to a typical 15-25 years.

For a comparison compare notes on the Boston Big Dig which was 350% over budget and still 20+ years overdue... but hey its a Democrat construction job in a overwhelmingly democrat state.

[Dick Bachert]

Of course, the OTHER factor is what provided the MAIN MOTIVATION for those involved in the project:

[Gay State Conservative]

Yup...finished in four years without needing to worry about any safety rules and running trains built with technology stolen from Japan,Europe and the US.

[ejonesie22]

Never under estimate the power of a cheap labor force...

[moehoward]

Our engineers told the Chinese the Burma Road would cost millions and take 10+ years. They did it in a year for peanuts.

[sjmjax]

Yeah, we couldn’t finish environmental impact studies in four years.

If we tried to build a transcontinental, high speed rail line, the Chinese & Japanese would be using Star Trek style transporters before we ran the first train.

[Mr. K]

And the 9/11 site IS STILL A HOLE IN THE GROUND

[Straight Vermonter]

Up here in the People’s Republic of Vermont we have been trying to get a ring road built around Chittenden County for more than 30 years. A road. One fricken road.

[paul51]

245? Not bad for people with a lot of time on their hands. How fast does a 787 travel?

[thefactor]

As opposed to Ground Zero.

Eight years later, that's still a hole in the ground.

[jimfree]

You can’t fly in that amount of time given security and tarmac delays.

I would like to hear though an honest analysis of cost per passenger mile.

[ridesthemiles]

No Enviros.
No Unions.
No endless benefits.
No Workmen’s Comp Insurance.
No 111 different kinds of seismic engineers.
No holidays.
No minimum Federal wage tied to similar Union contracts.
No minimum age of workers.
No Maximum age of workers.

We all can come up with more.

[TopQuark]

"It is amazing how quickly things may be built when you don't have to worry about appeasing the environmentalist."

Or about opposition and mere diversity of opinion. The Soviet Russia has also completed its projects quickly. Whether they were indeed in the interest of "the people" has never been discussed or questioned.

Totalitarian regimes are always efficient but ineffective.

[dmanLA]

Some people talk and other people do. Can you figure out which we are now?