Comments by "Laurence Fraser" (@laurencefraser) on "I Visited the Busiest Crossing in the World" video.

  1. And, of course, the trains feed customers into those shopping centres, without which said shopping centres wouldn't generate anywhere near as much money (similar to how actually profitiable-by-ticket-sales rail lines only manage that due to all the "unprofitable" transit (rail and other) lines feeding into them). And, of course, rail systems subsidised, or straight up paid for, by taxes do actually turn a profit (if they're actually built and run half way well), just not in ticket sales. A well built and well run transportation network (rail included) generates substantial additional economic activity, and thus increased Tax Take. Generally well beyond what it costs the taxpayer to build and run the thing. The issue, of course, is that fairs high enough to make the trains profitable Directly are also generally high enough to discourage ridership and thus negatively impact the increased economic activity, and thus taxes. Of course, if the government can convince a private entity to pay the costs of the railway instead, the government Still gets that extra tax income... bad if the private entity is trying to be profitable on ticket sales alone (because, again, questionably even Possible), but if the company in question has Also figured out that the profit isn't in the tickets, but in the resulting Commerce, and can make their money that way, well, that works out Really Nicely for the government. On the other hand, selling off a perfectly functional government owned transportation network to private interests who think they're going to make money On The Tickets is a great way to cease having a functional transportation network. Freight tends to last longer than passengers, and particularly harsh company/service specific infrastrucutre regulations can slow the rot somewhat, but there are always perverse incentives to do things that make the network worse (Asset stripping once they realise there's no profit in tickets... or even as the plan from day one, being one of the big risks. Self sabotage to get out of legislated minimum levels of service is another one).
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  2. Turns out, as stated in the video, it basically amounts to the railway company deciding that stations being malls was a good way to make money, and being correct (the two functions benefit each other quite a bit).
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  3. To my understanding the issue isn't so much that it's not an official event (though I'm sure that doesn't help) as repeated instances of property damage and other such issues resulting from drunk idiots (or possibly just idiots in general) at said event.
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