California High Speed Rail Thread

[202_Cyclist]

Bullet train agency names new chief executive
"Jeff Morales, an executive with the contractor working on the project, will fill the position that has been vacant since January. Some cite possible conflict."


By Ralph Vartabedian
Los Angeles Times
May 30, 2012

"The California High-Speed Rail Authority on Tuesday named Jeff Morales, an executive for a contractor working on the bullet train project, as its chief executive, filling a position that has been vacant since early January.

Morales, a former Caltrans director, had been working on the project as an executive of Parsons Brinckerhoff, the project manager for the rail authority.

The authority has come under increasingly tough criticism by the Legislature for its thin management, operating without a chief executive, a chief operating officer, a chief financial officer or a risk manager as it seeks to start a $6-billion segment of the rail system later this year..."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,6750237.story

[pesto]

Will someone please put this ghastly zombie out of its misery? Or is that the point by bringing on a for-hire "yes-man" and bureaucrat as the CEO?

Seriously, is this the best CEO for ANYTHING?

[Nexis4Jersey]

delete

[Nexis4Jersey]

delete

[Nexis4Jersey]

I think its time will just kill this project and give all the funds to NE which will show the country how to build a HSR network.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

I think its time will just kill this project and give all the funds to NE which will show the country how to build a HSR network.

The NE already has a HSR network, of which I'm not very impressed with. It's Amtrak's NEC.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Originally Posted by electricron

The NE already has a HSR network, of which I'm not very impressed with. It's Amtrak's NEC.

I mean't our Next Gen Network ,which will take 40 years to build in segments...and cost upwards of 125 Billion $. And Amtrak's NEC is not a Network its one line and its not really HSR...

[aquablue]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

I mean't our Next Gen Network ,which will take 40 years to build in segments...and cost upwards of 125 Billion $. And Amtrak's NEC is not a Network its one line and its not really HSR...

Sorry to be rude, but 40 years is just a pathetic time line and an indictment of the status of infrastructure development in this country. This just emphasizes the fact that we are extremely disorganized and unenthusiastic when it comes to planning large rail projects. This is ridiculous, 40 years to ride HSR when Japan and France have both had it since the 70's or so. They might as well not bother if they can't muster enough funds to bring this project to fruition in a civilized time frame, like any other developed nation, since this just reeks of mismanagement or poor planning. Again, 40 years for 1 HSR line, just absolutely ludicrous, no matter what the difficulties or challenges that lie along the projected route. This is a figure worthy of the most epic 'face palm' in the history of mankind and one that would evoke jeers from countries where HSR has been in place for decades. The US needs to decide if it wants to build HSR or NOT, and if so, do the damn thing properly once and for all!! Stop stringing the project on for years, just make a commitment to build it PROPERLY or cancel it outright and devote all funding to higher priority projects.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Originally Posted by aquablue

Sorry to be rude, but 40 years is just a pathetic time line and an indictment of the status of infrastructure development in this country. This just emphasizes the fact that we are extremely disorganized and unenthusiastic when it comes to planning large rail projects. This is ridiculous, 40 years to ride HSR when Japan and France have both had it since the 70's or so. They might as well not bother if they can't muster enough funds to bring this project to fruition in a civilized time frame, like any other developed nation, since this just reeks of mismanagement or poor planning. Again, 40 years for 1 HSR line, just absolutely ludicrous, no matter what the difficulties or challenges that lie along the projected route. This is a figure worthy of the most epic 'face palm' in the history of mankind and one that would evoke jeers from countries where HSR has been in place for decades. The US needs to decide if it wants to build HSR or NOT, and if so, do the damn thing properly once and for all!! Stop stringing the project on for years, just make a commitment to build it PROPERLY or cancel it outright and devote all funding to higher priority projects.

Its not just one line , there are 6 feeders....

[electricron]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

I mean't our Next Gen Network ,which will take 40 years to build in segments...and cost upwards of 125 Billion $. And Amtrak's NEC is not a Network its one line and its not really HSR...

The line to Harrisonburg nor the line to Springfield don't count as a feeders? The line to Harrisonburg is electrified with the same voltage and frequency as the NEC as well, although I'll admit I don't know if the line to Springfield is electrified or not. There's other Metro North, NJT, SEPTA, MARC, and VRE branches extending off the main NEC.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Originally Posted by electricron

The line to Harrisonburg nor the line to Springfield don't count as a feeders? The line to Harrisonburg is electrified with the same voltage and frequency as the NEC as well, although I'll admit I don't know if the line to Springfield is electrified or not. There's other Metro North, NJT, SEPTA, MARC, and VRE branches extending off the main NEC.

When lines are rebuilt , they clear space for future Electrification if they beleave the line will need it. Which might be the case for the Knowledge corridor by 2030...and Lackawanna corridor...

110-125mph Feeder routes
Keystone line - PA
Empire / Hudson line - NY
Knowledge Corridor - CT / MA / VT
Downeaster / Coastal New England Corridor - MA / NH / ME
Lackawanna line - NJ / PA / NY
Lehigh line - NJ / PA
Downstate line - DE
Virginia Regional Network? - VA

140-180mph
Shoreline NEC
Long Island NEC route
Newark NEC Bypass
Center City Philly NEC Alignment
Wilmington NEC Alignment
Downtown Baltimore NEC Alignment
NYP - GCT - Northern suburbs New NEC

180-220mph
New England NEC (HSR only)

[fflint]

Folks, this thread is specifically about California High Speed Rail. Please don't hijack the thread.

[Zapatan]

I thought the whole Cali high speed rail project had already been cancelled...?

[Zapatan]

I'll take that as a yes...

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

I'll take that as a yes...

No, it has not been cancelled. Some teabaggers state senator tried to qualify a ballot initiative for this November to try to repeal high speed rail but couldn't get the signatures. Governor Jerry Brown, US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, and tens of millions of Californians still support this.

[northbay]

This project is just encountering the usual NIMBYs and naysayers...
except as the single biggest infrastructure project in California it is encountering an exponentially high amount of them

[Yankee]

Okay, so when is construction starting? It is imperative that we get to a point of no return as quickly as possible, so at least the initial SF to LA stretch gets built. Once that happens people will realize how awesome it is and we'll have the other branches built.

[M II A II R II K]

Some senators want dramatic shift in bullet train plan


June 27, 2012

By Lance Williams

Read More: http://californiawatch.org/dailyrepo...ain-plan-16794

Three months ago, Gov. Jerry Brown hit the reset button on the California bullet train, slashing $30 billion from its $98 billion budget and promising to reorder the controversial project’s priorities. Now, some Democrats in the state Senate want to hit the reset button again. They have proposed dramatically shifting the high-speed rail project’s focus by cutting back on planned construction in the Central Valley and instead spending billions on immediate rail improvements in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

It is not clear whether what lawmakers call “Plan B” – a proposal devised by state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, chairman of the Transportation and Housing Committee – has a real chance of being substituted for the governor’s proposal. The issue will be settled soon, as the Legislature is expected to vote this week or next on whether to issue $6 billion in bullet train construction bonds. The Senate Democrats’ skepticism about the present high-speed rail plan was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. Boosters say Plan B would spend money now to achieve high-impact upgrades of rail service in the state’s busiest transportation corridors while building infrastructure that would accommodate bullet train service later on.

According to rail advocates who have been briefed on the idea, Plan B’s top priorities include:

• A $2 billion tunnel through downtown San Francisco to bring commuter rail service – and, eventually the bullet train – into the city’s new Transbay Transit Center from the Caltrain station more than a mile away.

• $1.5 billion in Los Angeles-area rail improvements, including a redesign of Los Angeles Union Station's rail access and construction of rail overpasses. Together, the projects would speed rail service for hundreds of Amtrak and Metrolink trains each day and end chronic traffic bottlenecks.

• A $1.5 billion Central Valley bullet train line between Fresno and Madera – but with no immediate connections to Merced or Bakersfield.

.....

[pesto]

What's really going on here is that everyone (except a few people on this site) are agreed that the current HSR proposals are ridiculous. So now the vultures are gathering to help kill it of and grab as much of whatever money there actually is for their own areas.

The SF tunnel is more or less zero useful to the public; but it wouldn't surprise me if this is what the proponents of HSR had in mind all along, since they have always seemed to have a connection to SF real estate development. The LA expenditures are a very mixed bag; some look legit and some pure pork. The CV piece is utterly without use or benefit (except to create union jobs) and is obviously done to win votes for the other pieces.

Never thought I would say it, but by comparison Jerry Brown's proposals are almost rational.

Sorry if I've offended anyone but what else can you say?

[mfastx]

I'd say that too many people in this country are uninformed of the benefits of HSR for any serious proposal to get enough support to move forward.