U.S. stands by California bullet train project despite critics

[SP4449]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-...5172.story

[TC Smith]

100s of millions spent, nothing to show.


TCS - not about transportation, all about politics.

[n6nvr]

But think of all the folks that commute from Chowchilla to Bakersfield or the other way that will benefit. I idn't know there was a time between points requirement in there. I think they need to kill that turkey now before it finishes off bankrupting those of us still living here.

[SP4449]

Also look how much the HSR officals were making. I think there is corruption. As bad as it is why couldn't they have started building a section of track in an area where there are a lot of people such as a part from maybe Anaheim to LA?

SP Never going to happen!

[chris_wlkr]

But we so need the train for situations like this week when the fuel truck tumbled under the freeway overpass and disintegrated it causing mass havoc and gridlock in the entire southern California region.

Since day one of this money pit one thing comes to mind when I hear HSR...

[TC Smith]

(12-16-2011 11:44 PM)SP4449 Wrote:  why couldn't they have started building a section of track in an area where there are a lot of people such as a part from maybe Anaheim to LA?

One: There's already numerous trains serving those points and they're "we want our own right-of-way" plan wouldn't fly. (come to think of it, the same can be said of their planned first segment ..)

IF (mighty big IF that ..), IF they had any sense at all they would build over the Grapevine to connect Hell-A and the Smog Joaquin valley.


TCS - I've often thought the the affordable, 55-minute flight to San Jose was too short and didn't cost near enough ...

[WM Fan]

The United States all ready has the very best high speed rail system in the entire world. It's called Southwest Airlines.

[TC Smith]

Laughter ! I thought it was jetBlue ...

Sadly, CAHSR lost sight of what the HSR part means.


TCS - go straight, go fast

[holasrmateo]

(12-17-2011 08:04 AM)chris_wlkr Wrote:  

Easily one of my favorite episodes; written by Conan O'Brien no less.

Anyway politically there is nothing unique to the High Speed Rail project in California than any other infrastructure project. Time, cost, right of way, purpose, service, whatever. On paper though, I will argue that the current plan of attack, to develop in the Central Valley first makes the most sense.

The largest areas of growth in the last decade were the Inland Empire and the Central Valley, largest a result of cheap real estate and urban sprawl. High speed rail really only makes it money over medium to long distances with few stops. This pretty much works against metropolitan areas like LA or SF requiring multiple stops that restrict any train from reaching high speeds. Then consider that both areas have Metrolink, LA Metro, BART and the Capitol Corridor and Surfliner which are all among the most heavily trafficked routes in the nation (even if most of us don't use them to go to work).

The Central Valley by comparison is considerably more spread out, the San Joaquin is the only rail game in town, 99 is woefully underequipped and has the worst air quality in California. Add that land is cheap, right of way is mostly agricultural, and flat, its clear that a Central Valley route is cheaper and easier and inherently faster.

I will say though that the project was a PR nightmare and had no control over their message even before the economy tanked in 2008.

[TC Smith]

The purpose of HSR is to connect high-residency areas like SF and LA and leave the medium to short distance commuter/intercity traffic to those entities you mention. SF and LA are the target passengers, not every little town, medium city and/or planned stop in the San Joaquin valley. The land is not cheap, is relatively flat but again, there's already service through there that could easily and less-expensively be upgraded while the west side of the SJ valley is sparse, has less agriculture, and ius a straighter line from LA to SF by 87+ miles.
The Amtrak San Joaquin route should extend out of Bakersfield to meet the HSR line, should be grade-seperated and upgraded to continue service that already exists.
The current CAHSR plan is based on political support. That's why it goes through Palmdale, Mojave, Tehachapi, the middle of Bakersfield, through a bunch of places where ridership will be minimal at best, Fresno, before finally remembering where it's supposed to go.
Long-distance versus regional.


TCS - targets: productive farm lands, Bakersfield High School. Bad.