California High Speed Rail Thread - Page 145

plutonicpanda · #**2881** Posted **Aug 30, 2019, 9:38 PM**

I just find the Cajon Pass line a potentially valuable point in the rail system especially with a fully built HSR system. I am not familiar with freight movements but I am assuming cargo trains from Port of LA use this pass as well? I am unsure how many billions it would take to create a quad or even six track corridor through the Cajon Pass and I am not aware of any studies underway to study an expansion. We certainly don't want to build up the rail system to the point where we have unaddressed bottlenecks.

urban_encounter · #**2882** Posted **Sep 12, 2019, 3:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crawford

No. Super commuters are generally lower wage workers who endure hellish commutes for their families.

Not the super commuters I’ve known and I’ve known quite a few high salaried people commuting between their homes in Sacramento to and from San Francisco via train. Hell I have friend who commuted by plane from Sacramento (El Dorado Hills) to her job in Boston.

SFBruin · #**2883** Posted **Sep 12, 2019, 9:21 AM**

Most super commuters that I've read about are middle class people who want a semi-skilled job and a semi-affordable lifestyle. Like, an office clerk making 80k with a family.

I don't know where this fits into the discussion about HSR, but I thought I'd add it.

I assume that people who commute cross-country often don't commute every day, but more like once per week or stay in each location for a week + at a time.

Rational Plan3 · #**2884** Posted **Sep 14, 2019, 4:15 PM**

In the UK at least Super commuters have to be on decent wages to afford the high cost of long distance commuter season tickets. The trade of on a train for more than hour on a high speed express is that for the price of so so flat in the suburbs of London they can get nice suburban home in some small town a long way from London. At the upper end of the scale they locate their family in some deeply attractive market town that's a couple of hours from London where they can something quite large for under a million, and often buy a studio in London, and then work 1 or 2 days a week from home. Some people for go this a studio's in inner London are no longer cheap and just put up with 2 hour commute three days a week. There has been a noticeable shift in passenger levels into London as Fridays and Mondays now have noticeably quieter trains. Tuesday to Thursdays are now the preferred days for meetings in London.

Hatman · #**2885** Posted **Oct 10, 2019, 4:03 PM**

A new proposal by Metrolink in Los Angeles on how to use HSR funds.

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...et-train-funds

Basically, the central corridor already under construction would be finished but without electrification. High speed diesel trains would operate that route.

Meanwhile, the money that would have been spent to electrify those 119 miles would go instead to electrifying Metrolink's Burbank-Los Angeles-Anaheim route, which will be operated by EMU's, similar to CalTrain in San Jose-San Francisco.

This would not be considered a 'diversion' of funds because this route is scheduled to become part of the HSR network eventually.

I like the idea, and I'm glad that Metrolink is finally getting on board with electrification (if I remember correctly they turned it down a while back), but I worry that this will slow the process of getting the HSR line completed. It is one thing to say "we have the central valley portion completed - we just need to connect it at both ends!", but it is a completely different argument to say 'Let's finish the central valley segment, THEN connect it at both ends!'

It will be interesting to see this play out.

d'angelo · #**2886** Posted **Oct 10, 2019, 4:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatman

A new proposal by Metrolink in Los Angeles on how to use HSR funds.

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...et-train-funds

Basically, the central corridor already under construction would be finished but without electrification. High speed diesel trains would operate that route.

Meanwhile, the money that would have been spent to electrify those 119 miles would go instead to electrifying Metrolink's Burbank-Los Angeles-Anaheim route, which will be operated by EMU's, similar to CalTrain in San Jose-San Francisco.

This would not be considered a 'diversion' of funds because this route is scheduled to become part of the HSR network eventually.

I like the idea, and I'm glad that Metrolink is finally getting on board with electrification (if I remember correctly they turned it down a while back), but I worry that this will slow the process of getting the HSR line completed. It is one thing to say "we have the central valley portion completed - we just need to connect it at both ends!", but it is a completely different argument to say 'Let's finish the central valley segment, THEN connect it at both ends!'

It will be interesting to see this play out.

This is bullshit. If we don't electrify the central valley portion now, it will never happen.

jmecklenborg · #**2887** Posted **Oct 10, 2019, 11:44 PM**

This is a mess, but a politically expedient one. Hopefully this is all a contingency plan in case Trump or a Republican is elected in 2020.

California is posting gigantic surpluses and a return of a D to the White House in January 2021 would mean plenty of state + federal money to dig the tunnels and complete Phase 1 between SF and Los Angeles.

aquablue · #**2888** Posted **Oct 13, 2019, 1:33 AM**

Trash country when it comes to rail and transit. Might as well think about emigration if you like HSR and want to enjoy it in your productive lifetime, unless your a kid. No way it happens in the next 20-30 years. Sad, but true. America is too in love with fracking and oil to care about "boondoggles" like HSR which the rest of the civilized world enjoys. Even morocco recently opened one, yes morocco, that impoverished north African nation. But the USA, the mightiest economy and nation ever to exist, can't even pony up for a single line and do it in timely fashion without this nonsense going on in Cali. Shame on all of them. Sadly most Americans have never experienced riding the HSR so they will never vote for pro-rail politicos. They have no emotional connection to the speed, comfort, and efficiency of rail travel.

jmecklenborg · #**2889** Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 10:40 PM**

Several Japanese high-speed trains were damaged by this past weekend's typhoon. Just imagine the talk radio/Fox News outrage if the same thing happened here!

Busy Bee · #**2890** Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 11:07 PM**

おっと

urban_encounter · #**2891** Posted **Nov 16, 2019, 3:19 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

This is a mess, but a politically expedient one. Hopefully this is all a contingency plan in case Trump or a Republican is elected in 2020.

California is posting gigantic surpluses and a return of a D to the White House in January 2021 would mean plenty of state + federal money to dig the tunnels and complete Phase 1 between SF and Los Angeles.

HSR in California is dead for the foreseeable future. California doesn’t possess the expertise to pull it off.

202_Cyclist · #**2892** Posted **Jan 16, 2020, 4:35 PM**

Tunnel Planned for California Bullet Train Under Burbank Airport

By Ralph Vartabedian
Los Angeles Times
December 3, 2019

A view of the Burbank airport. It sits in Southern California path of bullet train proposed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority. (Photo via the LA Times)

"The complexity of building a bullet train through Southern California’s urban maze is leading state officials to consider two major additions: a tunnel under the Burbank airport and a project that would help a freight railroad expand its switching yards in the Inland Empire.

Engineering studies reveal potential complications in the $80 billion project that have yet to be fully understood, even as the California High-Speed Rail Authority struggles to complete 119 miles of construction in the Central Valley that is over budget and behind schedule..."

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/burb...tunnel-planned

38R · #**2893** Posted **Jan 17, 2020, 6:19 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

This is a mess, but a politically expedient one. Hopefully this is all a contingency plan in case Trump or a Republican is elected in 2020.

California is posting gigantic surpluses and a return of a D to the White House in January 2021 would mean plenty of state + federal money to dig the tunnels and complete Phase 1 between SF and Los Angeles.

Yup. This thing is getting fully funded as soon as the next Dem President takes office.

Heck, If Bernie can get in with a D House and Senate, we'd get the extensions to Sacramento and San Diego, plus the High Desert Corridor all built by 2035.

N830MH · #**2894** Posted **Jan 17, 2020, 7:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

Several Japanese high-speed trains were damaged by this past weekend's typhoon. Just imagine the talk radio/Fox News outrage if the same thing happened here!

Wow! I didn't see that before! What is happening?? Hopefully they will be just fine.

Car(e)-Free LA · #**2895** Posted **Jan 17, 2020, 2:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 38R

Yup. This thing is getting fully funded as soon as the next Dem President takes office.

Heck, If Amtrak Joe can get in with a D House and Senate, we'd get the extensions to Sacramento and San Diego, plus the High Desert Corridor all built by 2035.

.

hallelujah · #**2896** Posted **Jan 17, 2020, 6:56 PM**

Joe wants to work with the GOP. He'd get compromised down to a shitty private medium speed diesel train and then get 0 GOP votes anyway. Obama 2.0

plutonicpanda · #**2897** Posted **Jan 17, 2020, 8:24 PM**

Victorville to LV train put on hold.

https://abc7.com/5856088/

I am hardly surprised and still stand by my original statement this won't work without a high speed connection to LAUS. A connection built first from LAUS to Victorville would be much more successful, IMO, as it would serve commuters as well as travelers to Vegas. Once the Las Vegas connection is built express trains could utilize that.

electricron · #**2898** Posted **Jan 17, 2020, 10:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by plutonicpanda

Victorville to LV train put on hold.

https://abc7.com/5856088/

They have already revised the headline of the story, adding a comma and the words ”for now” at the end.

Typical news reporting today with headline catching headlines not reflecting the jest of the story following. Oh well.

plutonicpanda · #**2899** Posted **Jan 17, 2020, 11:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by electricron

They have already revised the headline of the story, adding a comma and the words ”for now” at the end.

Typical news reporting today with headline catching headlines not reflecting the jest of the story following. Oh well.

Reporting has become lousy in general. Many news publications can not even get simple road numbers right.

This projects vote was delayed awaiting a decision from California?

craigs · #**2900** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 3:23 AM**

There is already a thread for that private Las Vegas venture.

California High Speed Rail, this thread's subject, is a different project.