[hammersklavier]

While I'm sure political motivation is a contributing factor, and I'm not sure of some of the details of Cali. geography, I do believe that within the L.A. basin, there are constraints based on the passes to be used, parks, etc.

The Altamont route, for example, clearly offers a superior offering for S.F.-Sacramento than the Pacheco plan--but at the same time it's still inferior to a potential route straight down the river to Oakland (with a potential connection to Frisco proper from there). By the same token, the circular routing between L.A. and San Diego does touch most of the good neighborhoods, and seems designed in part to function as branches to concentrate traffic to Frisco at Union Station rather than to provide an effective fast path to S.D.--perhaps two routings may one day be necessary (I remember the geology of the matter prompting Desert Xpress to choose to terminate in Victorville and one day connect to Palmdale to piggyback on CAHSR's Tehachapi (sp?) Pass route, rather than connect via the more direct, but more geologically unstable and congested, Cajon Pass.)

As far as the first section, getting from Sacramento to Palmdale looks like it ought to be the first priority--it's the easiest part to build. No matter how you look at it, getting into the L.A. Basin is going to entail significant engineering and technical challenges, as is getting over the Pacheco Pass. This route naturally includes Fresno and Bakersfield as part of the initial segment.