Duras Intercoastal Railway Opened

The Confederacy of the Coast, colloquially known as Coastalis, is a collection of maritime city-states centered around the ancient pirate haven of Lighthouse.
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Orion
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Duras Intercoastal Railway Opened

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ERSENIL -- The Coastal government announced that the second intercoastal railway was now open, crisscrossing the island of Duras, the second largest island in the Skerries. The first intercoastal rail was successfully opened on Skerryvore, connecting the cities of Lighthouse, Pharos and Melton with other coastal cities, such as Sweethaven, Hillock and Forge Cove. The success of this rail was in great part thanks to the need to move large quantities of goods across the island at relatively quick speeds. Development and growth have been skyrocketing across Skerryvore, due primarily to the resettlement of many Brettish families, which have now begun to grow. The result has been a population boom and the growth of otherwise rural areas into suburbia.

To direct growth and encourage less sprawl, the intercoastal rail was developed as a mean to funnel commerce along particular routes, and emphasize development of existing cities. This has helped preserve undeveloped farmland, which the country has precious little of, and encourage higher density development in cities. The model has been so successful that it is being repeated on Duras, where the size of the island and a lack of infrastructure have proven difficult in controlling development.

The new line begins at the capitol of Duras, Ersenil, and extends west to Tullon, south to Duras and Quinton, and then looping back north to Franklin and back to Ersenil. The loop forms a somewhat inverted triangle. With the opening of this rail development will be encourage along the coastal cities, while the inner core of the island will be reserved for farmland. This is not limited to agriculture but also includes livestock, orchards and other types of farming.

Similar railways are being planned for Taras and April Island, though these will be much smaller. Review committees have deemed the remaining islands too small to support large rail systems. As such these islands will likely have intercoastal highways built to allow rapid transit. The idea of having bridges built to connect the islands is also being studied for feasibility, but the prohibitive expense makes these a long term investment that may not begin development for several years or more. But with the development of commuter and freight rail, the transit woes of the larger islands will be mostly resolved.

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