Full Steam Ahead for High Speed Rail?

Full Steam Ahead for California's High-Speed Rail | Autopia from Wired.com

A cute title, but a great development. Looks like CA is going to move forward with high speed rail. Is America finally going to get some real high speed rail? How do we inform the reports that "Amps to Yellow" might be more accurate than "Full Steam Ahead"? :tb-tongue:

 

California certainly has the population density centers to make it work.

 

It also has the property values.
I don't see it happening. The Northeast Corridor only has 18 miles of over 80mph track because the cost of straightening it out is prohibitive.

For example:
The 1st mile of Interstate 90 in Boston cost as much to build as the next 10 miles which cost as much as the next 100 miles because the cost of the land.

Then again, I hope I am wrong.

 

We'll see. I would rather think of the possibilities than trash-can it out of hand.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about nimbys. The proposed lines are mostly along established rights of way. This is honestly something we Californians need.

 

Well, there's a nice modelling opportunity. Pick up a TGV model and repaint it in California High-Speed Rail colors.

I noticed that they had it running through Gilroy. That's known as the Garlic Capital of the World, since it's a big agricultural product there. You could grind up a couple of garlic cloves and be the first kid on your block to add fragrance to your model railroad.

 

Don't forget that the public agencies in California ALSO have lawyers. If Californians decide they want it I suspect they'll get it.

 

I've looked at the map and the proposed route. There are some interesting points to consider. I have an objective overview and ideas to run past you. Relax, I'm not a Nimby, Gumbie, or "Oh No" Mr. Bill. California has needed a high speed rail service. Mainly L.A. to Vegas but that's another story.

Starting with the negative observations: The stops in both San Francisco and Los Angeles would slow it down to Metro Rail Line speeds in both of these locations. The section L.A. to San Diego is interesting but again the proposed route and stops will reduce the overall benefits of a high speed rail line.

There are two major mountain pass's they will need to build over Pacheco Pass (which I know well) and the Tehachapi Pass (Yep, I know it pretty well, too). Neither one of these will be cheap to build over, due to the lay of the land. Regarding Tehachapi, there are three routes that Santa Fe considered utilizing. The first two mentioned here would best serve the High Speed Rail Line.

1. The tracks would have climbed the Grapevine starting at Taft and climbing up the mountain side until it turned into a canyon and came out at a point west of Mojave. The route would have taken it through a canyon and past a location at approximately the same location where a cement plant is located and was served by a SP Wye and track.

2. A hill climb leaving the SP tracks at the bottom of the hill to climb the front range as does the present freeway but to continue until it reaches the same canyon location as in number one

3. (Which has nothing to do with this proposal...just a historical note) AND, the actual route ATSF started to build. This would have gone around the north east side of Mojave, Ca., crossing over the tracks to Trona, remaining on the north east side of the SP tracks and passing behind Monolith and the cement plant and then crossing over the SP Tracks near Arvin, to continue down the front range in a South West direction.

The first two routes could be utilized via a tunnel through the canyon walls and come out at Fort Teton, on the Grapevine and then follow Hwy 5, down into Los Angeles, Ca.

My thinking is the straightest point between Sacramento and Los Angeles or San Francisco and Los Angeles... is the route they should be looking at.

Pacheco Pass: An original Spanish Land Grant given to a family whose name still survives and whose holdings (what's left) still belongs to the surviving family of, The Pacheco's. An alternative route that might be easier to build over as compared to crossing the Pacheco Pass, would be running down into Hollister, Ca. continuing down to Tres Pinos, Ca. and then swing east out to New Idra, dropping into the San Joaquin Valley and across to Fresno. The route is relatively flat as compared to trying to mount Pacheco Pass and fight with an ever moving San Andreas and associated faults.

Other thoughts are:

A. To avoid competition with established routes or service provided by Amtrak and the Cal/Metro type lines a more direct route between the three major cities of CA., would best be served by a routing that moves directly to and or from Sacramento, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Arena.

B. Minimal stops the key to high speed success.

C. Multiple Stops: Prohibitive to riders on set incomes, needing to commute and/or out on a shopping adventure and just wanting to go from San Bernardino, to Los Angeles round trip will be the cost to ride the high speed. Most will want to continue riding services already provided...at a cost they can afford.

Anyway just my two cents. Ok, you can have a nickels worth tossed in for free. I really don't think this is going to fly and most likely will be killed in a committee, derailing it, as they wrestle with CA's budget. They've already killed a bunch of benefits to those on set incomes, schools, medical, fire and police. Hrrumph! There goes my train money...grin!

It will be curious to see how the politicians will handle this because at some point this bond will need to be paid for.

Not everything we voters vote for eventually becomes reality. Sometimes, it gets settled or derailed in court. "Oh no" Mr. Bill. Grin!

We shall wait, see and hope the high speed rail service becomes reality. We need it desperately.

 

I think it will eventually happen. People will get sick of getting stuck getting hassled at airports just to fly from SF to LA for a meeting.

Right now, California's budget is having its own problems, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

 

California High Speed Rail

Hi Rick,

Unfortunately, I agree with you that this line probably won't happen, at least in time for me to ride it. The most optimistic backer of the high speed rail in the San Francisco area says that "ground might be broken in 2010".

There have been many years of delay while bay area politicitians squabbled about the route going over Pacheco Pass to the peninsula or going to Oakland. It seems obvious to me that Oakland is the better choice, but then I'm not receiving any lobbyist money.

What makes sense to me is a direct line from Sacramento to Los Angeles with connections (dare I call them short lines?) to Oakland, somewhere in the San Joaquin valley, San Diego, and maybe other places in southern California with which I am not familiar (and yes, from southern CA to Las Vegas).

If you count trip time from leaving your living room in San Francisco to arriving at your business meeting room in downtown Los Angeles, driving is just about as fast (or faster) as flying commercial air and, except for the 1100 miles of wear on your car, cheaper.

Anyway, I hope it happens, but I'm not betting my train money on it.

Thanks for your comments,