Decision Making for Mega Project

This document discusses the challenges and decision-making process for mega projects such as Hyperloop and High Speed Rail. It explores the technical and logistical challenges faced by these projects and the importance of community consultation. The document also highlights the impact of these projects on the environment and the economy.

Running head: DECISION MAKING FOR MEGA PROJECT
DECISION MAKING FOR MEGA PROJECT
Name of the Student
Name of the Organization
Author Note

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Answer to Question 1
A Hyperloop is specially a mode proposed by the passenger or any load transportation. It
is firstly used for describing the open source design of vactrain which is released by a joint team
from SpaceX and Tesla (Chin & Gray, 2015). A Hyperloop is basically a tube which is sealed or
any system of tube with the help of which a pod can travel free of the resistance of friction or air.
It can also convey objects or people at a quite high speed and acts efficiently. The concept of
Hyperloop Alpha was first mentioned in the public in the year 2012 which incorporated tubes
having minimum pressure within which the capsules which are basically rode being pressurized
on the air bearings and were driven by the axial compressors and the linear induction motors
(Taylor, Hyde & Barr, 2016).
The three biggest challenges with the project includes decompression, deadly collisions
and pressure. Similar to a pingpong ball, the train may quickly accelerate as soon as the air just
rushes into it and without dragging the capsule may accelerate to a speed which is supersonic.
This decompression can be considered as dire problem which may be dangerous in a system the
vacuum within the train (Werner, Eißing & Langton, 2016). So far, no systems of breaking are
proposed for preventing the capsules from accelerating accidentally due to spontaneous
decompression. The engineering capsule which can withstand and bear the force during any
decompression which is spontaneous will be very difficult due to the given nature of the design
(Ross, 2016). The capsule is so strong that it can support the pressure of the atmosphere within
the cabin. It must also remain light enough such that the tube do not get damaged, destroyed or
compromised as it is seen to travel down the back. It is to be remembered that before a
Hyperloop becomes operational, the tubes used for transportation will stretch and expand about

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hundreds of kilometres across the country which will further support the whole weight of the
atmosphere which is above it. Any small compromise if made within the structure of the tube
may result in an implosion which will be catastrophic. If the tube becomes punctured due to any
reason suddenly, then external air will definitely tear into the tube and shred it apart like it
violently rushes in for filling the void. The effect which will be seen will be similar to that of a
railroad tank vacuum of a car implosion.
Answer to Question 2
The key challenges and the issues which are faced by the High Speed Rail proposal are
political will, project corridor selection, both economic and financial ability to work
successfully, HSR project financing, acquisition of land, structure and the framework of the
policy and technology selection (Khabbaz & Fatahi, 2014).
As per political will, each corridor of HSR will have a longer period of gestation and will
also be highly intensive of capital and hence thinking in a strategic way is needed at the Apex
level to implement in a programmed manner and involves coordination among Central
Government Ministries and State Governments. Selection of the project corridors is also very
important and crucial which mostly involves selection of the pilot project and economically
viable projects are to be given higher priority. High cost of capital will have great impact on the
ability to work successfully and there are highly demanded risks due to the tax which are much
higher as compared to the rail which is conventional (Michell, Martin & Laird, 2014). The high
capital cost of the HSR makes a financing challenge and GOI may not completely fund the
corridors. Most of the state governments will have to then raise finances by extra levies even for
providing funds partly and the private sector may not even have adequate capability of financing

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to fund the large HSR projects. As the issue of land acquisition is considered, HSR corridors pass
through lands which are sensitive and through conurbations and this is also critical due to the
stringent requirements of alignment. For a policy structure there is a need for seamless project
implementation and assurance for international investor’s attraction. Selection of technology is
considered to be another challenge. There is a need for a fixed infrastructure and a technology
which upgrades quickly.
Answer to Question 3
As it is known that mass transit services form the fundamental part of a growing city and
planning for the future with transport strategies and technologies which are new are also very
much important. There is a need for looking beyond the recent pipeline of the project for
ensuring communities are the better places for living in, visit, work and play. This project is
considered to be a critical step in the delivering the future strategy of transport along with some
other initiatives like the study of Western Sydney Rail needs, Parramatta Light rail and heavy rail
system improvements (Legaspi, Hensher & Wang, 2015). It is therefore seen that consultation
from the community as well as from the industry is very much important for developing the
project of Sydney Metro West project so that a decision regarding investment is made by the
NSW government at the proper time (Griffin et al., 2015). It is also very much important to
analyse the effective job intensity as well as the improvements in accessibility in the Parramatta
to Sydney CBD corridor which will show the range of benefits depending on the time of travel
and the number of stations which are included. It is to be remembered that maintaining the
fastest possible time of travel along the route of Sydney Metro West Route between Parramatta
and the CBD is very much crucial for realising the vision of the metro (Sae Siew, Mirza &
Kaewunruen, 2016). It has to be remembered that although incrementing in the number of

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stations along the route will definitely provide benefits which include the urban renewal od the
inner western part of Sydney and also help in addressing the existing constraints capacity with
more number of stations included and slower travel times which are related, the shaping benefits
of the Sydney West Metro are likely to get diluted.
Answer to question 4
The political advisor thinks the deal will pose some real dangers to the community
whereas the investment banker thinks that the deal generated will have a great outcome for the
State. WestConnex is a 22km trolled motorway which links the Sydney’s west and the south
west with the Sydney Airport and Port Botany via the interchange of St Peters which was under
construction by the new project of M5 (Saulwick, 2015). Roads and Maritime Services is the
main proponent for this particular project and Sydney Motorway Corporation is responsible for
delivering the project and all levels of WestConnex (Farrelly, 2015). As said by the political
advisor, due to the key issues which have been raised includes the traffic and transport, noise of
the construction, operational quality of air and several impacts on the health of human. There
will be an increase in the Haberfield compounds of construction and several construction
fatigues are exposed to the activities of construction. The Environmental Impact Statement is on
public exhibition from 18th August 2017 to 16th October 2017 and the department even received
more than 13,300 submissions which included nine from the authorities of public and three from
the councils and the majority of it rejected the proposal (Herald, 2013). That means there are
certain issues which are needed to be resolved. Both the political advisor and the investment
banker must have a meeting and clearly discuss about all the issues related to WestConnex and
try to resolve them.

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Answer to question 5
The design should be such that it will feature twin three-lane tunnels and lowered roads
in some sections where the Government might minimise the impact visually and create much
more open space along the route. The tunnels which are 5.3 in length must have structures of
ventilation which will be positioned as far as possible from all the homes. The road link must be
built with a noise standard of 63 decibels which will definitely make it one of the quietest
motorways in the state. The design must also include bridges green space over sections of the
road link as well as for extensive cycling and paths for walking. Certain changes are to be made
in relation to the land bridges which are new around the trenched road and noise standards are to
be maintained. Longer tunnel which is much more expensive avoid the disruption of the
construction and the construction cost of a cut and cover. It is too early to say that the prices of
toll for the road would be. The construction must be started as soon as possible. The community
feedback have to be taken into consideration during the process of design. The budget must be
such that it sets aside for the investigation of alignment and preservations of land thus making
the road link shovel ready. The road link must not be constructed such that it becomes vague.
Terminus are to be indicated properly. It is also to be remembered that corridors are preserved.
The design is to be such that it avoids the existing houses. A combination of several identified
corridors are to be chosen which will form the proper proposal for the new road link which is to
be introduced.

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References
Chin, J. C., & Gray, J. S. (2015). Open-source conceptual sizing models for the hyperloop
passenger pod. In 56th AIAA/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and
Materials Conference (p. 1587).
Clifton, G. T., Mulley, C., & Hensher, D. A. (2014). Bus Rapid Transit versus Heavy Rail in
suburban Sydney–Comparing successive iterations of a proposed heavy rail line project
to the pre-existing BRT network. Research in Transportation Economics, 48, 126-141.
Farrelly, E. (2015). WestConnex: the road to ruin is paved with more roads. Sydney Morning
Herald.
Griffin, D. W. P., Mirza, O., Kwok, K., & Kaewunruen, S. (2015). Finite element modelling of
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Herald, S. M. (2013). Ideology Runs over Logic in the Drive to Build WestConnex, Comment,
October 31 Viewed on 1 December 2013.
Khabbaz, H., & Fatahi, B. (2014). How to overcome geotechnical challenges in implementing
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Legaspi, J., Hensher, D., & Wang, B. (2015). Estimating the wider economic benefits of
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Michell, M., Martin, S., & Laird, P. G. (2014). Building a railway for the 21st century: bringing
high speed rail a step closer.
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Werner, M., Eißing, K., & Langton, S. (2016). Shared value potential of transporting cargo via
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