California High-Speed Rail Thread

[muon2]

The big problem with California HSR is that you still need a car at your destination. Were not built up like Japan.

Zipcars claim to have a CA presence. I know them from Chicago and Champaign. I would imagine that this would be the sort of business model that would mesh well with HSR.

[muon2]

We need better mass transit options in the US, but the best response to that problem is considerably less sexy than high-speed rail, which will probably never take off outside a few of the country's most densely-populated corridors. Adding bus routes, bringing our existing rail network out of the nineteenth century, and rethinking the nation's built environment should be higher priorities.

I would generally agree, but I wouldn't restrict thinking to densely populated corridors. I would look at rail between any pair of cities with frequent non-stop air service that is under an hour.

[muon2]

I strongly doubt a rail from LA to SF will ever be finished. It makes zero sense. It's cheaper and to fly. It't not needed. It is not the Bowash corridor that needs high speed rail, because the air lanes are full and with bad weather, things descend into chaos. But the Bowash corridor has lots of folks all along the line, while between LA and SF is largely nothing. What a waste.

I'm not sure I accept all the logic here. It seems that an LA-Bakersfield-Fresno-Merced-San Jose-SF link is comparable to the Paris-Lyon-Marseille TGV in length and would serve a greater population. There are domestic French flights, but that particular TGV line successfully competes and covers its operating costs. Other than Lyon there's not much in the way of major population centers between Paris and Marseille along that main French line either.

[muon2]

If Texas wasn't so anti-public services, it would actually be the best place in terms of major US cities and flat cheap empty land to try high speed rail in the US.  Dallas-Waco-Austin-San Antonio-Corpus Christi and El Paso-Midland-Austin-Houston would connect 90% of the state at the capital with clear interstate expansions on all sides (Tucson, OKC, NO)

The irony here is that TX, like most states, isn't opposed to major investments in airport infrastructure. In IL, O'Hare is in the midst of a $10 B upgrade, and there is continuing discussion of a new airport south of Chicago with a price tag of $5 B.

[muon2]

I strongly doubt a rail from LA to SF will ever be finished. It makes zero sense. It's cheaper and to fly. It't not needed. It is not the Bowash corridor that needs high speed rail, because the air lanes are full and with bad weather, things descend into chaos. But the Bowash corridor has lots of folks all along the line, while between LA and SF is largely nothing. What a waste.

I'm not sure I accept all the logic here. It seems that an LA-Bakersfield-Fresno-Merced-San Jose-SF link is comparable to the Paris-Lyon-Marseille TGV in length and would serve a greater population. There are domestic French flights, but that particular TGV line successfully competes and covers its operating costs. Other than Lyon there's not much in the way of major population centers between Paris and Marseille along that main French line either.

Well, yes, but the big issue is the attractiveness of the train versus flying between the big population nodes, and how crowded the air lanes are, and how much weather interferes with them. In addition when you get to downtown Paris, you're in Paris. When you get to downtown LA, you are sort of nowhere. And then there is that patch between Sylmar and the base of the Central Valley down the hill from Lebec. It's rugged! Finally on I-5, through the Central Valley, one can drive at 75 miles per hour pretty consistently. It's the closest thing to an American autoban that we have I think. So the train is competing with vehicular traffic as well.

The French were also quite clever in that the TGV stops at Charels de Gaulle Airport and Disneyland as well as Paris city. If you are traveling internationally you can get off the plane and onto the train (and vice versa) in relatively little time. We used it this spring to get from CDG to Disney in 10 min!

[muon2]

Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom has bailed on the project.

Is California high speed rail now a Dead Man Walking?

I think Newsom is just trying to get some attention for himself since it's an election year, and no one cares about the Lt. Governorship. Quit trolling, Gavin, we know you were once a strong supporter of HSR.

In light of the fact that California voters have turned against the project, Newsom has more than a leg and an arm to stand on when he decided to join the tide of public opinion.   And when such a prominent public official bails out on the project, do you seriously think others won't follow the example he set? 

Maybe CA will relinquish their federal funds, too. That would be enough to complete the Chicago-StLouis HSR.