California High Speed Rail Thread

[phoenixboi08]

Originally Posted by urbanfan89

Wait - so construction already started before they even chose a partner?

The two decisions are mutually exclusive.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by urbanfan89

Wait - so construction already started before they even chose a partner?

CA voters a long time ago passed a 10 billion $ bond issue to get the thing started but they obviously need more money to complete it. The funding all along was expected to come from a combination of the state (including the bond money), feds and private partners but, no, the private partners have not yet been selected. And in a way that's a good thing because the outlook for federal money is looking grimmer under Trump than it did under Obama (in spite of all the talk about building infrastucture including high speed rail) so the size and arrangement of the private involvement may have to be different today than it would have been a few years ago.

[Pedestrian]

Senator Dianne Feinstein took another step yesterday to push the Trump Administration to sign off on federal funding for Caltrain’s beleaguered electrification plans. “I intend to oppose confirmation for every Transportation Department nominee until the Trump administration releases funding for the Caltrain Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project,” said the Senator in a press release.

http://sf.streetsblog.org/2017/05/16...ectrification/

[phoenixboi08]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

CA voters a long time ago passed a 10 billion $ bond issue to get the thing started but they obviously need more money to complete it. The funding all along was expected to come from a combination of the state (including the bond money), feds and private partners but, no, the private partners have not yet been selected. And in a way that's a good thing because the outlook for federal money is looking grimmer under Trump than it did under Obama (in spite of all the talk about building infrastucture including high speed rail) so the size and arrangement of the private involvement may have to be different today than it would have been a few years ago.

The private partner is only working with the agency to facilitate the eventual operation of a franchise - they've been soliciting feedback from interested private parties for several years, in any case.

It was always planned that the initial construction packages would be awarded, designed, and under construction before we ever saw bids for potential franchisees.

And "all the talk about building...high speed rail" wasn't just talk; it was backed up with concrete actions that Congress refused to act on.

[ChargerCarl]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

http://sf.streetsblog.org/2017/05/16...ectrification/

I thought they got the money for that already?

edit: nvm, it wasn't the full amount.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by ChargerCarl

I thought they got the money for that already?

edit: nvm, it wasn't the full amount.

They've got it now but hadn't when I posted that.

[Pedestrian]

Who knew CA HSR construction had gotten to the point this was real?


http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/articl...photo-12297368

[mattropolis]

This thread is for construction updates only. There is another thread about the merits of California's HSR.

[ChargerCarl]

Originally Posted by mattropolis

This thread is for construction updates only. There is another thread about the merits of California's HSR.

No thanks. This is a small forum and we should alllow discussion to take place more or less freely wherever it arises.

[Cirrus]

Yes thanks. The purpose of this thread is so people who are interested in the status of CAHSR can track it. That purpose is largely impossible if the thread is overrun with endless debates on the merits of the project. That's very clear in the thread title.

The spin-off discussion from the past few days has been moved to its own thread. Feel free to continue there, but kindly leave any discussion on the merits of the project out of this thread.

[Pedestrian]

New web site: https://buildhsr.com

[Innsertnamehere]

• Video Link

[Busy Bee]

Sehr gut. Sehr sehr gut...




DB recommended for Caifornia high-speed early operator contract

A consortium led by German Rail (DB) has emerged as the frontrunner in a tender to select an “early train operator” for the California high-speed rail network.

DB Engineering & Consulting USA, a consortium of DB International US, DB, Alternate Concepts, and HDR will be recommended to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) board of directors for contract award on at their next meeting on October 19.

Four shortlisted bidders submitted proposals to CHSRA on September 6. DB Engineering achieved the highest ranking in the subsequent assessment, followed by Renfe in second place, FS First Rail Group in third, and China HSR ETO Consortium in fourth.

...

Other responsibilities include providing support on station design and operational planning, train interiors, fares integration and interoperability with connecting operators, security and safety, operations control systems and train dispatching, and opportunities to maximise revenue.

Rest of story

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Sehr gut. Sehr sehr gut...

Christ, it still sounds rough, guttural and gothic... Doesn't it? The German cousins...

Siemens literally swallowed Alstom Transport lately. We just let it happen, but I guess it's only because we're good Catholic people who believe in unity.

Our hope here is to establish a Western giant to survive the formidable Chinese competition. Cause you know, the Chinese are not quite Christian enough yet...

Ha! That's a joke. But there's a bit of truth or actual facts behind that joke.

[DJM19]

Loved my experiences on DB's rail services. If they can bring that to California, I am greatly in favor of it.

[Busy Bee]

Yep, let the Germans run the trains. Hmm, seems like there's an old joke there somewhere...

[ardecila]

^ Wasn't a similar proposal from SNCF derailed a few years back because some California snowflakes got offended at that railroad's connection to the Holocaust? Never mind that it was done under coercion.

I can't imagine DB will get very far if SNCF was deemed unacceptable...

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by ardecila

^ Wasn't a similar proposal from SNCF derailed a few years back because some California snowflakes got offended at that railroad's connection to the Holocaust? Never mind that it was done under coercion.

I can't imagine DB will get very far if SNCF was deemed unacceptable...

I don't remember that but the fact is it's hard to think of a prominent national rail network without troubling historical connections. China (well Mao didn't kill THAT many, just probably more than the German guy). Japan (if not Germany, how can Japan be in the running?). Maybe Spain (but somebody would bring up Franco).

Here's reality: The "snowflakes" to whom you refer probably don't want HSR anyway. Gov. Brown has been single handidly pushing it and one wonders what will happen when he leaves office. Assuming Gavin Newsom is the replacement, I don't trust him to keep pushing HSR like Brown has done. He's a snowflake's snowflake.

[Busy Bee]

Can we please agree to stop using that asinine word?

[Illithid Dude]

This seems like best case scenario to me. Those Germans run a good network.