CAT->HTH->KTN Link

[Kingdoms of Cal]

At 04:35 at high tide the submerged tunnel fleet broke off as they were working at the minimum depth they could. There was a gap of approximately ten meters between where they had stopped and the shore based tunnel builders had stopped. The were out by 5.2 mm, well with in tolerances.

At 10:34, low tide a the heavy life crawler crawled over the beach and placed the modified section into place, inner tunnels in place and a group of furs and scalise started welding the inner tunnels together. They also retrieved the x-ray ROVs that had been checking the welds internally.

The platforms out at sea and the shore bound pumping stations start to warm up, the power line is linked into the miokaliaen power grid, and starts to pass power in, it would draw from it and the Calie grid when the pumps kicked in.

At 12:00 Andertol and princess Lyie stand by the entrances to the tunnel at opposite ends.

Lyie smiles and says "We are no longer and island" before pushing the button to start the pumps. Mean while in miokalia Andertol was next to a similar button.

[Kingdoms of Cal]

As both of the buttons were pressed the on shore pumping facilities kick in (not that the buttons were connected to anything). Out at sea the platforms also start to pump and the water level in the submerged tunnel starts to drop at a rate of knots.

Five specially designed drones fallow the water checking the integrity of the tunnels. The longest submerged tunnels in the Federation was heading to completion, though the Emass tunnel would be longer, but that was only starting construction. It would take two days to drain them all.

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An engineer approached Andertol and asked "You are interested in our trains, perhaps you might be interested in the construction of the CAT 6 and the MAT G. We would be interested in your input to the project and well what kind of orders, specifications you might be inclined to place with the train works?"

[Kingdoms of Cal]

A Note is sent to Neamat asking, as they are a customer, of the train works if they would be willing to give there input to the CAT 6 and MAT G projects.

[Kingdoms of Cal]

As the engineers seemed to have agreed on a standard the more down to earth people arrived. The unfortunate appearance of necessary people that looked after time tabling and ticketing.

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Up until now the freight network had run on an ad hoc basis, with the load that the MAT network and it's feeding networks would place on the others as all of Cal's ports fed into this system. It would be a substantial load on the systems of the other nations.

A Drewen, desert fox, spoke "With the slow integration of our networks we need a means to ensure that...well the trains run on time and integrate with road and other freight systems.

We understand that some have started work on making there own system to manage the marshaling yards and freight transfer. We have recently completed a rewrite of our systems and are willing to provide it to our partner networks at cost. You will of course have full access to the code, how ever we will need a central point to ensure we can ensure that the network runs smoothly. The Material Managerial Transitory, M.M.T for short, have a central system that if you choose to use this system will work as a core. This is only for ensuring that the goods on the main lines are passed to the road and local rail network in such a manner that they can cope with.

A large ship or ,usually, a number of them can strain even our net and if the rumors are true this might get worse.

This is not an attempt to take over your freight systems, just to make them run as best they can.

We have little experience of road freight. So we would welcome input and as you would have the code your own techs could adapt the system to your own needs beyond the main lines, but we would like access to the code.

Also this system will require local knowledge, even the core system in Cal uses various local offices that are staffed with locals that know the likely problems on a line, things that a DB can't know. Where some small feeder line might flood, where and when there is likely to be a prat on a level crossing, that kind of thing. Local knowledge can make a OK network great.

We use open standards and largely open system, the ability to send a piece of freight via air, then road ,then rail and then local freight finally to be cargo on a ship somewhere seamlessly, to the company or whatever can not, but be in every one interests?"

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In a separate room another Drewen started to speak "We run the CAT network, we being the Calitua Managerial Transitory, or C.M.T, we maintain the time tabling system and ticketing. Before unification we managed the CAT and the allowed local stations of commuter and HST lines to sell thou tickets.

The way to make a network work has never been about who has the best trains but who gets them to run on time and makes them easy to use. We do not only look after trains but ensure the local tram and other systems know when a train is coming in, be these ferries or trams. We also allow for the use of a single ticket for a journey, now some of the airlines operating from Cal have joined the system.

When I was young I traveled from my family's house in a small village in Drew via no less than six rail networks and one ferry company to visit my aunt in sae with one ticket. I never had to wait more than five minute for my next link. This or better is what we envision for the linked network.

OK how do we make our money.

We charge a little on top of the fair, usually 2 percent but the bigger the network the less we charge, it was 5 percent when I was young. If both of the other networks join, depending on the degree we are looking at a charge for thou tickets of only 1 to half a percent. The cost is borne by the passenger not the network, any partner in the network can sell the tickets.

How ever this is not set in stone, we just ensure the right parts of the partners are paid. The scheduling is obviously free as it benefits us all.

Getting a train from X to Y at Z is even the most important, we are not looking at taking control just to allow the system to not get clogged up with trains being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is nothing more annoying than being stuck out side a station you can see or in a tunnel for half an hour after travailing thou at speed just to be late due to there not being a platform free.

Local knowledge is key, it is what makes a good network great. Knowing that the 'Bus' from X is always late or trains on line from Y are always early is key. That and knowing, X is playing Y expect more people and X won, expect more drunk idiots, things like that.

To the token used as a ticket, we use cheap smart cards, but they are reusable and on the calie network we put a one meep deposit on them, not much and regular travellers keep them, to be 'recharged'. But is enough to get people from binning them and well if they do there is always a kid some where who figures out a source of income to augment their pocket money. We have about a 95 percent return rate, I reckon the other 5 percent are dead, over used or generally wrecked. The deposit can only be claimed if the card isn't obviously over used or wrecked.

Everything will come at cost and if you use our system you will get the code, though it needs rewritten it can handle the system, but it is a bit old. Hell some of it is written in COBOL, I've herd, so if you want to get involved with that, you are more than welcome.

So that's the pitch, Oh yeah we have expanded our mainlines to accommodate more trains and it is now third line capable."

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Both groups noted a few things from the pack they got.

1) Neither the MMT or the CMT where government run organisations, both were mutuals, owned by their users. The users being both partners and those that used the networks, new members would have the same rights. How ever Demutualisation required a unanimous vote, the Calie government owned a partner that didn't do anything and had a net worth of 1 meep.

2) Both according to there accounts never made a profit

3) Oddly both had paid for the extension of the CAT and MAT networks, some how.

4) They had good accountants as it was clear the Calie rail network ran at a profit but it never showed up.

5) The Calie government either knew what they were doing or were idiots (the latter was unlikely)

6) Both networks knew that the expansion of trade could not but help them.

7) The Calie government still paid money into the rail network even though both systems appeared not to have made a loss in years.

8) They were not looking to compete with native freight systems just complement them. (Some one still had to get the freight to the terminals and pay for the transit)

9) The system looked to be very non-centralised, core systems only when needed. ( A very Calie way of doing things)