Saturday, April 18, 2009
Oslo will host "Peace through Trade" conference
Friday, April 17, 2009
High speed railroad to Asia
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tough times help Russia, U.S. be friends
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
UIA-Approved Ideas Contest
An international contest on ideas on how to connect the continents at the Bering Strait is currently being sponsored by The Foundation for Peace and Unification in Korea, with approval from the International Union of Architects.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Will Hydrail Locomotives Make Diesel Obsolete?
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Presidential Directive on U.S. Arctic Policy
Human activity in the Arctic region is increasing and is projected to increase further in coming years.
This requires the United States to assert a more active and influential national presence to protect its Arctic interests and to project sea power throughout the region.
Consider, as appropriate, new or enhanced international arrangements for the Arctic to address issues likely to arise from expected increases in human activity in that region, including shipping, local development and subsistence, exploitation of living marine resources, development of energy and other resources, and tourism;
Friday, February 20, 2009
Marshall Plan for Remote Alaskan Communities
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Arctic Route Not Suitable for Major Shipping ... Yet
A recent article by the Associated Press makes clear that using the Arctic route as a short cut for shipping between Asia and Europe has risen above the "improbable" stage but still has a ways to go before it becomes reality.
Connecting Alaska by Railroad
Tim:My comment would be as follows:The Canada-Alaska rail connection was indeed analyzed in 2007*, and the result of this analysis showed that it would make enough money to pay the operating cost but not enough by far to pay for the cost of capital. If anything, the situation with regard to financing is even more unfavorable today than it was in 2007.There are two other factor involved: the development of oil in Alaska, whether on-shore or off-shore, does not involve railroad. Oil companies are quite comfortable with establishing cheap roads for trucks driven by Kamikaze drivers. A railroad would be a permanent feature of transport, and the oil companies have no interest in permanency. After the oil deposit is depleted, they just move on.As far as the lure of mineral development is concerned, modern advances in sea shipping make it possible to ship a ton of metal concentrate for about a nickel to the US from anywhere in the world. "Anywhere" in the world the mineral deposits may be of higher grade, there is much cheaper labor and one does not have to deal with endless environmental questions and law suits.The development of the Kensington gold mine near Juneau is a sad example of both: Coeur d'Alene mining company spent nearly 300 millions of dollars at Kensington, completed the mine and concentrator development only to see the mine production held up by environmentalists in the 9th District Court.With today's depressed commodities prices, the future of Alaska-Canada rail connection is more than bleak.The picture changes considerably, if you look on Alaska-Canada connection as part of the intercontinental railway connecting Asia, Europe and the North American continents. You enter transport function for the railroad in northern Pacific basin, perhaps the largest freight shipping market in the World today.More than 6,000 super container freighters ply the so called Northern Circle Route, a shipping lane that follows the Aleutian Chain of islands. The railroad to Asia would supplement and replace this sea shipping and avoid frequent shipwrecks** in perhaps the most violent waters in the World known to a sailor. Railroad is safe, fast, door to door, all year transport mode. The fact that this railroad will also open up for development the resource hidden in the nearly 7 million square miles of the Arctic. Nowhere is the frosting on the cake!Tim, all the Best, George Koumalp.s Did we find the mode of cooperation between IBSTRG and the Foundation for Peace? It seems like that we did.* I have done such analysis in 1998 with identical results** several per year. A ship load of Mazdas landed on Kodiak island beaches not too long ago, washed up from a shipwrecked cargo vessel.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Obama to Canada: A Rail Link to Alaska?
The Alaska Canada Rail Link (ACRL) Phase 1 Feasibility Study considers a rail connection through Alaska, Yukon and Northern B.C. linking North Pacific Rim markets in the shortest trade corridor between North Asia and North America via a U.S. port.
Mutually dependent economics of large-scale northern resource and railway development are compelling.
Drastic changes in global demand - driven by Asian markets - have sharply raised the value of mineral resources in north western Canada and Alaska and rail infrastructure investment would dramatically increase economic productivity, development and sustainability in this region.
A new North Pacific Rim Trade Corridor may be well positioned to complement bulk mineral resource traffic for export to Asia with container import traffic from Asia.
A rail connection through Canada would improve the economic security of Alaska and the lower 48 United States by providing both essential supply route redundancy, as well as West Coast container congestion relief with a new Alaska sea/rail port gateway on U.S. soil.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
High Speed Intercontinental Rail? "Not Likely"
Dear Tim: Thanks for the information. I have been aware of this. However, high speed railroad is completely unsuitable for freight movements. And it is the freight movements over long overland distance where the railroad has no competition. Also, railroad not only transports but it also develops commerce and industry. Arctic is suitable for all kinds of development. Including agriculture, as strange as it may sound. Greenhouse farming in the Arctic would take advantage of the long summer sunlight hours, as well as the fact that there would be cheaper energy available that in more moderate climate. I am not sure if I mentioned this to you before. If you take a city hopper flight from Paris to Amsterdam, you would see below square miles of greenhouses. Similarly, on the train ride (courtesy of Mr. Lee) from Pusan to Seoul, you can also see whole square miles of greenhouse farms. It is a highly profitable business. Rail/ship transport from Arctic can supply vegetables and flowers all around the World. High speed trains cannot do it.North Korea does need a carrot-threat of long range rockets! Please write an article to Korea Times about the Inter-Korean Consortium. It is a newspaper read in Pyongyang, I believe.All the Best to all of you, George Koumal