Quote:
Originally Posted by tech12
There are way more BART riders than there are commuter rail riders between SF and Sacramento, and BART has always had mediocre coverage in SF, as well as a bottleneck and inadequate late night service, due to the single Transbay tube.
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This is very true but the Capital Corridor trains also serve students, families and as you noted commuters. Most important, the goal is to reduce a very congested I-80 between Sacramento’s Eastern suburbs to the Bay.
Plus, given the new home work realities and housing costs, the Bay Area likely won’t densify the way you’re thinking. People are likely going to move out further from the Bay (or not. I don’t pretend to know for certain).
But yes, BART needs a second Transbay tube.
The Capital Corridor will need a sizable investment. Eventually given climate change, the trains will need electrification. HSR will never be extended to Sacramento. Not in 50 years, not in a 100 years. But I think as long as we have ACE Train extension and improvements to Capital Corridor so we won’t necessarily need HSR to Sacramento. Sacramento has frequent airline coverage to Southern California and that likely won’t change especially as HSR skims air service between LA and SF Bay Area.
But rail investments shouldn’t be an either or proposition in this State. But this is California so there’s that.