"Feng, yesterday you said you wanted to build a high-speed railway across the east and west?" Seeing that everyone was silent, Eric took the initiative to stir up the topic. He came here just for this matter.
"When we invest in ports and terminals, it is natural that we also include supporting logistics construction. The United States is the country with the highest trade volume in the world, and it is in great need of efficient logistics channels and to ensure transportation volume."
"The high-speed railway is our opportunity. Once it is completed and put into operation, it will greatly improve the domestic logistics channels in the United States, and those who operate this railway will definitely make money."
Eric shook his head: "Feng, we have thought about this matter. There are several points that you may not have considered."
"You are using China's high-speed railway construction as a reference, right? China's railways carry more than 2 billion passengers every year, while our American railways only carry more than 20 million passengers each year. There is a hundred-fold difference, not to mention the mileage of our railways In fact, it is twice that of China."
"You in China can earn back your money through passenger transportation, and freight is the profit. But in the United States, freight is the main means of profit, and there are not many people in passenger transportation."
The aviation industry in the United States is very developed, and basically every family in the United States has more than one car. Many people choose to drive their own cars when traveling, and take planes for long distances. If necessary, they rent a car when they arrive. They are already used to it. Got a car.
It’s not that cities in the United States are big. In fact, many cities in the United States only have a population of one million. Their area is similar to that of Xiangjiang, and they are far less large than the capital and magical capitals of China.
But the public transportation in the United States is really not that good. Even the subway is not used by many people, and the public transportation is even worse. There is very little public transportation except in popular and bustling areas.
"Feng, I know, you want to say that as long as the speed is raised, many people will choose to take the high-speed rail, because at certain distances, it is no slower than flying, and it is even more convenient."
"But this will affect the interests of the airlines. Can you understand what I say?"
If railways are raised and passengers have more choices, it will be a heavy blow to airlines. Just like in China, when the high-speed rail and EMU started operating, weren't the air tickets also discounted and reduced like crazy because they couldn't be sold
Airports are always in the suburbs in every country, while train stations are usually in urban areas. They may not necessarily be more prosperous, but they are definitely closer to the city center than the airport.
The construction of high-speed rail will harm the interests of airline shareholders, which will create some resistance.
"Feng, there are more troubles than that. Think about it, American automobile companies are in a cold winter. Both Tongyong Automobile and Collision are losing money. They can only survive with the help of the government. The only ones that don't need government help. Ford Enterprises sold you half of the brand business."
"If the high-speed rail is built, it will have a huge impact on car sales. So, you don't object, right?"
"Another important point is that when we build a railway, it must not be on the original railway line, but it cannot be too far away. This involves the issue of demolition compensation. I don't know how much compensation is paid for demolition in China. But in our country, it's very high."
Because real estate in the United States has permanent ownership, as long as you can afford the property tax. The resources dug out of the ground at a certain depth of your house belong to you, even if there is a diamond mine underneath.
Therefore, the demolition costs in the United States may be higher than those in China, and Americans will never choose a house that you want to compensate. Instead, they will ask for more cash and then buy a house that they think is better.
"Feng, you said yesterday that one kilometer costs almost 30 million U.S. dollars, but that was calculated based on your Chinese expenses, right? If it were in our country, the United States, we think the cost would have to be increased by at least 30%, that is to say One kilometer costs almost $40 million.”
"A distance of more than 4,000 kilometers costs 160 billion U.S. dollars. Do you think we can afford this money together? Well, even if we can afford it, what is the economic effect? Don't use any national interests to do it. He said, our consortium is not a philanthropist, we support many employees."
"So we can take out more than 10 billion US dollars at most. How much can you take out? The remaining money can only be borrowed from banks. And it will definitely be blocked by automobile, aviation and other companies, so only our own banks can provide loans , have you carefully evaluated the risks here?"
Feng Yu was stunned for a moment. He didn't consider this carefully enough and ignored the resistance from other industries in the United States. If he wanted to invest, Feng Yu would definitely use a loan to invest, and cash would be too uneconomical.
Project funds will become the biggest constraint, and the profit prospects are relatively slim. Is this cooperation impossible to achieve? Then there will be great constraints on the construction of their logistics network.
Li Zeju spoke again at this time: "Eric, we just talked about the pilot issue of the port, so why can't the high-speed rail open an experimental section first?"
Feng Yu's eyes lit up, yes, the high-speed rail can also open experimental sections first.
Eric and Reid looked at each other, and this was actually what they wanted to say. Let the news out first, open an experimental section, and then see the reactions of all parties before making a final decision to see whether it is worth building such a long high-speed rail.
The United States is different from China. China considers all aspects and national investment, even if it is not profitable, is convenient for the people, and it should be done.
But this is private investment in the United States, and they must consider profits. If it were the first two years, maybe we could ask for government subsidies, but now, where is the money from the US government? They are actively looking to China to sell national debt.
This is the case in the United States and the United Kingdom. Electricity, gas, transportation, communications, etc. all belong to different private enterprises, and even the degree of electrification construction in each region is different. Even more than ten years ago, many states in the United States had different civil voltage standards. They were just unified at the end of the last century. At that time, when you bought electrical appliances, you had to explain to the store which available equipment you needed, or You buy a home appliance.
In China, it has been connected to the grid for a long time. The local power grid also belongs to the state and must abide by the country's unified standards. The purpose of promoting different standards is to make your products unique and obtain higher benefits.
Everyone looked at the map for a long time, and finally Eric proposed building an experimental high-speed rail from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, passing right through their California.
Feng Yu and Li Zeju looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Next, he will wait for the reply from the United States, and Feng Yu will also communicate with the country and prepare to go to the United States to build a factory and inspect it.
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