5 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Progressive Railroading, 1/5/15:

California groundbreaking slated for high-speed rail system

 

The event will be held at the site of a future rail station in Fresno to highlight the first segment of the entire line, which is expected to run between Los Angeles and San Francisco by 2029.

 

Read this.

[CNJRoss]

USDOT "Fast Lane" blog, 1/9:

 

Construction underway on America’s first high-speed rail

 

Posted by

Joseph P. Szabo

 

Construction on America’s first high-speed rail system is underway.

 

On Tuesday in Fresno, California, I joined Governor Jerry Brown, Congressman Jim Costa, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, California High-Speed Rail Authority (CaHSRA) Chairman Dan Richard, and others to celebrate the official groundbreaking for the high-speed rail system that will connect Los Angeles to San Francisco.

 

It was an historic moment and one that I am honored to have been a part of.  This project has been a long time in the making, but emerged from the planning phase in 2009, when President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, providing $8 billion for intercity passenger rail projects.  From this and additional funds, $3.4 billion was invested in California High-Speed Rail.

 

 

Governor Brown’s determination, public support from the people of California, and a lot of hard work by the California High Speed Rail Authority kept the project moving forward.  And now, the track is being laid to usher in a new era for fast, efficient, and reliable intercity passenger rail service.  Just like the history made almost 150 years ago (nearly to the day) with the Transcontinental Railroad, California is again posed to make history and set the standard for the nation. 

 

Yes, at 220 mph, this train will be fast.  But it is already quickly delivering much needed jobs to California’s Central Valley.  Ultimately, it will propel the state’s economy forward, reduce congestion, and improve air quality.

 

 

This train carries the future.  It will ultimately serve as the backbone to a southwest regional high-speed network and as a model for high-speed rail development nationwide. 

 

The President’s mandate, and Secretary Foxx’s message on infrastructure, has always been clear.  By 2050, our population increases by 100 million.  We must have an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible way to move Americans.  And, we must have predictable, dedicated funding to plan projects like this and see them through to the end. 

 

The California High-Speed Rail project was worth the time and effort to overcome challenges.

[CNJRoss]

The New York Times, 2/4:

Op-Ed
 

150 Years of Working on the Railroad

 

SAN FRANCISCO — IN 1864, my great-grandfather arrived here, a teenager from Ireland with few prospects. He’d left County Galway with a coat and shoes and crossed the Atlantic, caught a steamer to Panama, then another one to San Francisco. The journey took three months, an eternity for a young man hungry to work.

 

Ever since then, my family has been complaining about how long it takes to get from Point A to Point B in California. At least twice a year we drive the 400 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco to visit family. What used to be a six-hour trip now stretches into eight or even 10 hours, depending on weather and traffic jams. We while away the hours along the coast on Route 101, or inland on Interstate 5, listening to the radio and fantasizing about jet packs and high-speed rail.

 

In 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, a $10 billion bond measure to build a bullet train. The Obama administration made high-speed rail a priority in 2009, and earmarked $8 billion for such projects around the country. Conservative governors in Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida returned their rail funds, which increased California’s share to $3.2 billion. The idea that a sleek train running over 200 miles per hour could move us from San Diego to Sacramento in just two and a half hours seemed a dream come true.

 

But you never realize what’s entailed in a massive public works system until you’re in it.

 

 

Continue here.

[Sloan]

 

 

 

America’s first high-speed rail system basked in praise and attention this week when Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, visited San Francisco and echoed the enthusiasm of California’s leaders for the project.

Sleek trains slicing through the landscape at 220mph. Travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles slashed to under three hours. Silicon Valley, California’s rural backbone and Hollywood, the world’s entertainment capital, truly connected.

http://www.theguardi...ats-republicans

 

California, IMHO, would be much further ahead if it focused on increasing speed an frequency of conventional passenger trains.  This high speed rail project is way too costly for the value it is supposed to deliver.

 

Sloan

[KevinKorell]

 

 

California, IMHO, would be much further ahead if it focused on increasing speed an frequency of conventional passenger trains.  This high speed rail project is way too costly for the value it is supposed to deliver.

 

And I agree with this totally.  As I have said before, one must walk before they can run. While the California high speed rail route will basically follow the San Joaquins route, there is a huge gap in that route between Bakersfield and Los Angeles where there is NO passenger rail of any kind.  Whatever the solution will be to get trains over the Tehachapi range, it can and should be done as soon as possible rather than in the time it will take to build an intricate high speed rail line.

 

The cycle of high expectations followed by letdowns serves to eventually kill these projects or at very least kick the can down the road to another generation. Just ask Wisconsin, Ohio, or Florida.

[KevinKorell]

^{Kern Golden Empire, Bakersfield, CA, 5/5/15:}

 

High-Speed Rail from Bakersfield to Palmdale

 

 

We've heard plans for the train coming from the north, but what about the route it would take heading south over the Tehachapi mountains?

 

High-speed rail officials say the main reason we haven't heard much about the high-speed rail section to Palmdale is because the plans aren't set yet.

 

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