California High Speed Rail Thread

[aquablue]

White elephant. Ancient tech will be superseded by Virgin One hyperloop tech anyway. This thing is going from one one=horse=town to another and is a colossal waste of money. Might as well scrap it now and plan for a better solution down the road. This thing will never reach LA. Hyperloop all the way boys, it's coming. sorry for breaking your heart Mecklenborg, but Musk wins this time.

[Busy Bee]

Hyperloop foamers should remind themselves that most covers of Popular Mechanics have never come to be. I fully expect Hyperloop to be in that category. Too costly investment for too little utility. Simple as that. Steel wheel steel rail high speed rail is the way to go with maglev justified in a scattered few heavily travelled nonstop corridors. There's a reason we all aren't flying around like George Jetson - it's preposterous, impractical and just plain stupid. I feel the same way about Hyperloop.

[jmecklenborg]

Construction continues throughout the Central Valley despite the virus-related work disruptions in other types of work:
https://sf.streetsblog.org/2020/03/2...nder-covid-19/

[aquablue]

This thing has little chance of being more than a stub track for lumbering diesels, plodding from one no-name-town to another, and hardly used too. The sight of beautiful high speed tracks and an Amtrak on it would be like a sumo wrestler on figure skates.

[aquablue]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

Construction continues throughout the Central Valley despite the virus-related work disruptions in other types of work:
https://sf.streetsblog.org/2020/03/2...nder-covid-19/

The only thing they are constructing is a track that will serve only as an Amtrak shuttle for a few folks moving between two depressed cities. Until TRUMP signs off on the whole deal, there will be no HSR in California and no HSR trainsets will be rolling down those pretty new tracks. Sad, btu tTrue

[Busy Bee]

Man, where to begin...

[Car(e)-Free LA]

Originally Posted by aquablue

The only thing they are constructing is a track that will serve only as an Amtrak shuttle for a few folks moving between two depressed cities. Until TRUMP signs off on the whole deal, there will be no HSR in California and no HSR trainsets will be rolling down those pretty new tracks. Sad, btu tTrue

Well, we only need wait 9 months for Amtrak Joe.

[ardecila]

Yeah I'm hoping Biden can bring some serious resources to rail if elected. He's the only candidate who talked about rail on the campaign trail without it being just a small part of some pipe-dream Green New Deal...

Unfortunately, to the extent he is an establishment guy I don't see him pushing any real reforms in American railroading, just throwing more money at it.

[Busy Bee]

I don't know about that. Biden is well aware of how behind we are in this arena and what is needed to transform the intercity rail system, so not to traffic in inane trumpian vagueness who knows... I guess we'll see what happens.

[TWAK]

Originally Posted by aquablue

This thing has little chance of being more than a stub track for lumbering diesels, plodding from one no-name-town to another, and hardly used too. The sight of beautiful high speed tracks and an Amtrak on it would be like a sumo wrestler on figure skates.

It's gonna be a pretty long stub though from Merced to Bakersfield and really slow at 220 mph.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by TWAK

It's gonna be a pretty long stub though from Merced to Bakersfield and really slow at 220 mph.

Before CHSR can have trains going maximum speeds of 200+ mph on the brand new railroad tracks between Merced and Bakersfield, they first must order new HSR train sets. It is going to take Alstom 5 years to compete 28 train sets for Amtrak for the NEC. CHSR has yet to order one. They have not even released a RFP to purchase or lease any. The tracks might be ready next year or a year later, but there will be no 200+ mph maximum speed trains for at least 5 years, possibly 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 more years. Will CHSR ever order any?

[TWAK]

Originally Posted by electricron

Before CHSR can have trains going maximum speeds of 200+ mph on the brand new railroad tracks between Merced and Bakersfield, they first must order new HSR train sets. It is going to take Alstom 5 years to compete 28 train sets for Amtrak for the NEC. CHSR has yet to order one. They have not even released a RFP to purchase or lease any. The tracks might be ready next year or a year later, but there will be no 200+ mph maximum speed trains for at least 5 years, possibly 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 more years. Will CHSR ever order any?

If there keeps on being interference from entities outside or within the state then no, it will just be a nice new long rail spur that cost 12 billion.
At first this thing was never going to pass the vote, then it was never gonna get built, and I guess now it will never have HSR trains? There are easier ways to say you just don't like the project...

[Busy Bee]

I still think the Authority should buy those newly retired Eurostar trainsets as initial operating equipment. I'm sure they could be gotten for a song and the cost of some refurbished locos and trailers would be exponentially less than ordering brand new proprietary sets before the system is even finished. Plus there would be an extra novelty in the public knowing the trains used to operate between London and Paris.

[ardecila]

^ Even post-reform, I'm not sure the FRA regs would allow a European trainset to operate on US tracks without significant alterations - beyond just a mere rehab/overhaul. Any savings over new might be eliminated.

Texas Central is finding that it can't just run Shinkansen equipment in the US without modifications, even if the biggest roadblocks (buff strength, etc) have been eliminated.

That's not to mention that CAHSR is subject to Buy America, whereas Texas Central (and Brightline/Virgin) are not.

[jmecklenborg]

With the undeniable air quality improvements experienced around the country from significantly reduced airline travel and intercity vehicular travel, the argument that flying or driving a car from LA to SF is the same thing as riding an electric train has been completely debunked.

I live in the industrial midwest and I'm seeing vivid colors and smelling sweet air in the city that I always previously associated with camping in a national park.

I read elsewhere that someone who has lives in Redondo Beach saw the Hollywood sign this past week for the first time since she bought the house in the 1990s.

All the jet-loving, car-loving LA people, and obviously most Americans across the country, need to wake up and realize that there's a better way to do things. There are very real physical health (asthma, other respiratory issues including the current covid-19) and mental health cost savings to be gained by reducing air pollution.

[SFBruin]

A lot of attention has been given to the idea that high speed rail will serve as a commuter system between exurban cities and the metropolitan areas at the ends.

Has there been investment in areas like Bakersfield / Madera etc. since high speed rail construction has begun?

[jamesinclair]

Originally Posted by SFBruin

A lot of attention has been given to the idea that high speed rail will serve as a commuter system between exurban cities and the metropolitan areas at the ends.

Has there been investment in areas like Bakersfield / Madera etc. since high speed rail construction has begun?

No

[urbanflight]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

With the undeniable air quality improvements experienced around the country from significantly reduced airline travel and intercity vehicular travel, the argument that flying or driving a car from LA to SF is the same thing as riding an electric train has been completely debunked.

I live in the industrial midwest and I'm seeing vivid colors and smelling sweet air in the city that I always previously associated with camping in a national park.

I read elsewhere that someone who has lives in Redondo Beach saw the Hollywood sign this past week for the first time since she bought the house in the 1990s.

All the jet-loving, car-loving LA people, and obviously most Americans across the country, need to wake up and realize that there's a better way to do things. There are very real physical health (asthma, other respiratory issues including the current covid-19) and mental health cost savings to be gained by reducing air pollution.

I completely agree.

[N830MH]

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20...QqRa0JVuZFNlD4

Tax credit for Virgin Trains project to bring maintenance facility to Apple Valley

[jmecklenborg]

The LA Times takes a bunch of cheap shots at CAHSR:
https://www.latimes.com/california/s...les-to-Burbank

In the first sentence, we are warned that the trains will "hit people".