Kulpan highspeed

Kulpan highspeed is a rail franchise in Kulpania operated by KulpanRail. They primarily operate services between the country's major cities, currently servicing ten of the country's thirteen biggest cities. The franchise has announced potential proposals for extensions to their network in the future, most notably adding a line to Radulm, but construction on this proposal has not begun yet.

Overview

Kulpan highspeed serves three stations in Dalow: Great West Road, Carcom Avenue, and West Blacan. Every other city served by the network has only one station, except for Oloton which has two. The franchise is operated by KulpanRail, who also operates the other five franchises in Kulpania.

History

The Kulpan highspeed franchise was first formed on 1 May 1967, when the KulpanRail company decided to split into five franchises in order to improve trains and reliability. In 1967, the franchise served only five of the cities served currently, and did not operate the ferry service to Micajer.

Construction started on an extension to Tondil in 1974, and was completed on 16th February 1976. This extension was unlike any other of Kulpan highspeed's extensions as the line was built specially for the franchise, whereas all other extensions were completed through upgrading of previously low-speed lines. Services from Tondil travelled to Katril, the southern terminus at the time, via Dalow and Holt.

After the success of the extension to Tondil, many proposals were put forward for potential extensions to Oloton. The most popular plan at the time was to continue the line from Tondil northwards, however there were many engineering obstacles on this route overlooked by supporters. Firstly, this plan suggesting cutting down the Æsatźús valley, which was not possible due to its notoriously steep slopes and jagged terrain. This proposal also suggested a suspension bridge spanning the Dutell, which would not have been able to support its own weight due to the required length from the Dutell's width. An alternative solution was proposed, one which went via Iguana Point and Castul. This route was considerably longer, but the proposal was more sensible and had considered possible obstacles along the route. It was agreed in 1981 to build the longer route, as the chair of the highspeed franchise stated that "a firm decision had been reached with compromises from both parties". Soon after, construction began on this line.

The Oloton extension opened as far as Iguana Point in November 1983. Services from here operated to Dalow and Artun, a decision which was highly popular with users of the network. Trains from Iguana Point to Artun were incredibly crowded, and as such the line had to close temporarily in December after a woman fell off of a train with a malfunctioning door and died. The franchise then increased the frequency of services to Artun, from one train per hour to three. Trains were still busy after the increase in service pattern, but no more significant accidents occured as a result.

August 1985 marked the opening of the next phase of the Oloton extension, as far as Castul. Oloton quickly followed in January 1986, and services began from Oloton to Katril. This nearly 660-mile journey took 6 hours and 13 minutes to complete, but this is not the longest service ever operated by a KulpanRail franchise. After the full opening of the Oloton extension, train users complained about poor connectivity with Tondil. This prompted many more proposals to be put forward for a line to Oloton via Tondil, as proposed previously, but the chair of the highspeed franchise reinforced his 1981 decision and would not allow this extension to go forward. The estimated cost of this extension was K2,300,000,000 (~£620,000,000, adjusted for inflation).

In 1995, the franchise announced that it would be building an extension from Artun to Ŋila, and ultimately Ŋila Dock. It was also announced that the franchise would be taking over the operation of the Ŋila-Port of Micajer ferry service. This announcement came as a surprise to many, as there had been numerous plans put forward for a highspeed extension to Port Hidon, a more populous and economically active settlement. It is widely believed now that this extension was prioritised as the chair of the franchise at this time, Limeg Bibarud, was originally from Wesalor North, on Micajer, so he would have personally ensured that this extension go ahead. Despite the low priority, the construction went ahead, and the line opened the following year.

Bibarud was dismissed as chair of the franchise in 1999, and his successor, Cifaś Dilamaq, immediately proposed an extension to Port Hidon. The Kulpanian public had demanded this numerous times, so the announcement was widely welcomed. This extension was to open in two phases: the first an extension from Katril to Port Hidon and Tizamis; and the second from Ŋila to Port Hidon. Construction began in July, and phase one was opened in 2003. Passenger figure estimates were significantly different from real figures on the line to Tizamis, so the service had to be reduced and stopping points increased. The line to Port Hidon, however, was highly successful, with services needing to be slightly increased to cope with demand. The opening of phase two in 2005 had a similar reception: the line was used well and the public approved. Since the opening of the two highspeed lines into Port Hidon, its economy has increased 24% and the number of ships arriving has increased by 19%.

Services

As of 3 December 2018, highspeed services tend to operate at two trains per hour. The Port Hidon-Oloton service sees this number of trains, along with Dalow-Ŋila. Tondil-Katril sees three trains per hour on weekdays, with two per hour on the weekend. Lowtah-Tizamis services operate once per hour.