California Leg. OKs funding for high-speed rail line

[Rozman]

So we need a high speed rail line to what?

go 500 miles,1000 miles?

Maybe coast to coast in 3-4 hrs.

 

[ScienceRocks]

So we need a high speed rail line to what?

go 500 miles,1000 miles?

Maybe coast to coast in 3-4 hrs.

There's a tube design that can go 4,000 mph that will be able to cross the country in 4 hours. May not be a bad idea. hehe

 

[MeBelle]

And the price of the total package is?????????
Now, keep in mind that we both agreed that AMTRAK is a mess.
This will be no different, because flights to and from Frisco and LA are very reasonable and much faster than the high speed rail.
Another thing to consider is.....

While California Governor Jerry Brown rode a bullet train in China, the libertarian Reason Foundation released a report on Thursday saying the state's planned high-speed rail system will likely need between $124 million and $373 million a year in operating subsidies once its core line is completed.
California taxpayers to subsidize high-speed rail -report | Reuters

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has already dramatically downgraded its ridership estimates for 2035. In 2008, it promised voters 65.5 million to 117 million riders in 2035. Now it predicts 19.6 million to 31.8 million riders in 2035.
The Reason Foundation study finds, however, that even if the system managed to equal European train ridership levels it would hit just 7.6 million rides a year. Thus, ridership in 2035 is likely to be 65 percent to 77 percent lower than currently projected.
California High-Speed Rail Could Lose Hundreds of Millions Annually | Heartlander Magazine

"It's going to be very hard to hold costs down for such a big project," said state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. "It's always disappointing when you hear that scarce resources are being expended that you didn't anticipate."
California High Speed Rail Costs Soar Again

Let all this sink in for a bit as to the bottom line and the taxes from the taxpayers.
It's not like Ca. is flush with money cubbyholed away.....no matter how Brown spins it.

There goes the CA 'budget surplus'....

 

[Political Junky]

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder

Check it out. The time on Amtrak is 10 hours from SF to LA. That sucks bigtime. A bullet train would cut it to about 2 hours. Business people would love that, as well as those travelling for pleasure.

 

[Immanuel]

China High-Speed Railway, Bullet Train with Photos

<excerpt>
China is a vast country, covering almost 10 million square km (about 3.9 million square mi), with the distance of 5,500 km (about 3,417 mi) in north-south direction and 5,200 km (about 3,231 mi) in east-west direction. On the standard rail network, it can take a long time to reach your destination. For instance from Beijing to Guangzhou, a distance of over 2,000 km (about 1,243 mi), it takes nearly 24 hours, however, the journey time is cut to just 8 hours by bullet train. China has so many worthy destinations, many of which are far apart from one to another, and in most cases, tourists have no choice but to take an airplane. So to solve the problem, China has developed the high-speed rail network to cover more of the country, making long-distance trips more convenient, time-saving and feasible.

Now people generally prefer to travel by high-speed trains, which should be attributed to its advantages:
1. Fast: The present speed is higher than 200km/h, lessening the journey duration. For example, from Beijing to Shanghai, a distance of over 1,200 km (about 746 mi), it takes around 15 hours by normal trains, but the bullet trains just need 5 hours.
2. Punctual: Less influence by weather, they usually arrive at their destinations on time. By contrast, a bus may be delayed because of traffic jams or bad road conditions. Flights may be cancelled because for the bad weather.
3. Comfortable and Convenient: Seating is very comfortable, and the facilities can better meet passengers’ demands. Bullet trains are scheduled more frequently for many journeys so that passengers don’t need to wait too long.

High-speed trains also overcome the disadvantages of buses which face severe safety problems especially for those overnight ones. On the other hand, considering the airports which are usually located far from the city center and the long procedure for taking a flight, travel by the bullet train can be more time-saving and convenient, especially for a journey within 5 hours.
<more>

Merced to Fresno.....let that sink in for a bit, ok?

The driving distance from Merced to Fresno is 57 miles! Am I reading this right? $68 billion to go 57 frigging miles? That is basically $1.2 billion per mile and that would be If they stayed within budget! Just to go across the country one time is over 3,000 miles and to make it semi-efficient you would need at least two east-west corridors not to mention several north-south connections... Oh my God! Liberals and their bottomless wallets er their belief in our bottomless wallets!

I like the idea of high speed rail replacing air transport. But at such a high price?

Driving Distance from Fresno, CA to Merced, CA

Immie

 

[ScienceRocks]

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder

Check it out. The time on Amtrak is 10 hours from SF to LA. That sucks bigtime. A bullet train would cut it to about 2 hours. Business people would love that, as well as those travelling for pleasure.

Japan is developing a even faster bullet train that can go 310+ mph. Why not buy some of them? I bet that would cut even more time off of that.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/10098065/Japan-tests-310mph-bullet-train.html

 

[ScienceRocks]

I think we need to learn from the Japanese with this.

 

[Political Junky]

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder

Check it out. The time on Amtrak is 10 hours from SF to LA. That sucks bigtime. A bullet train would cut it to about 2 hours. Business people would love that, as well as those travelling for pleasure.

Japan is developing a even faster bullet train that can go 310+ mph. Why not buy some of them? I bet that would cut even more time off of that.

Japan tests 310mph bullet train - Telegraph

Sounds good to me.

 

[westwall]

68 billion dollars...This thing has no chance of ever being paid for.

Thank God Eisenhower didn't ask that question about the transcontinental highway system or else it might never have been built.

The Interstate system is USEFUL. They are following the 99 Highway corridor which is mainly agricultural. If they were serious about making a HSR line it would go from at least the Grapevine up the Interstate 5 corridor to at least Tracy.

What they are building is a huge boondoggle that will merely be a method for politicians and bureaucrats to steal money from the taxpayer with no way of being caught.

 

[Meister]

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder

Check it out. The time on Amtrak is 10 hours from SF to LA. That sucks bigtime. A bullet train would cut it to about 2 hours. Business people would love that, as well as those travelling for pleasure.

Business people love the 45 min. flight between frisco and LA. More time with the family, PJ.

You can keep putting lipstick on that pig, but it's still a pig, PJ.

 

[Trajan]

68 billion dollars...This thing has no chance of ever being paid for.

Thank God Eisenhower didn't ask that question about the transcontinental highway system or else it might never have been built.

The Interstate system is USEFUL. They are following the 99 Highway corridor which is mainly agricultural. If they were serious about making a HSR line it would go from at least the Grapevine up the Interstate 5 corridor to at least Tracy.

What they are building is a huge boondoggle that will merely be a method for politicians and bureaucrats to steal money from the taxpayer with no way of being caught.

the speed doesn't work out to be much higher than the old amtrack line that they ran for years between Anaheim thru San fran to Vegas....know why they pulled the plug on that line? No one friggin rode it....and the cost structure has caught up with the air fares, its only 20% cheaper to ride by train, thats not nearly enough to get people off planes and onto a train.

all you need to know now is; the state rep. who's name escapes me, who drove the HSR hardest and to its vote thru as a bill and Bond measure, says this is not what the folks voted for or signed up for.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder

Check it out. The time on Amtrak is 10 hours from SF to LA. That sucks bigtime. A bullet train would cut it to about 2 hours. Business people would love that, as well as those travelling for pleasure.

Keep in mind the air travel between LA and SF is impacted and no additional flights can be managed. Those of us who needed to go to LA at least once a month for business dreaded (at least I did) the long bus ride to rental cars at LAX and the SIG Alerts which seemed to be a regular event.

Meetings between colleagues could be had at half-way points along the line, and business is easy to conduct with seating on trains. Those in Europe have tables between seats, Wi-Fi and power for getting work done, reading e-mails, etc. as well as bathroom someone over six feet can use without putting their back out.

 

[Trajan]

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder

Check it out. The time on Amtrak is 10 hours from SF to LA. That sucks bigtime. A bullet train would cut it to about 2 hours. Business people would love that, as well as those travelling for pleasure.

2 hours......

and lets see, who knows what cost basis estimating is vs. final product vs. net profit is?


for example- they have already spent more than half a billion dollars on design contracts for six firms, they have ot driven one nail or laid one yard of track....

AND- Brown asked the Cali. state leg. to approve a $26.2 million loan from a state public transit account to fund high-speed rail planning just for the next year....thats money that is collected via DMV taxes fees etc.....

tis thing will gobble up $$ so far ahead that it will take 50 years after its built, IF ever to see one dollar net, I seriously doubt they will ever, even run flat.

 

[Immanuel]

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder

Check it out. The time on Amtrak is 10 hours from SF to LA. That sucks bigtime. A bullet train would cut it to about 2 hours. Business people would love that, as well as those travelling for pleasure.

2 hours......

and lets see, who knows what cost basis estimating is vs. final product vs. net profit is?


for example- they have already spent more than half a billion dollars on design contracts for six firms, they have ot driven one nail or laid one yard of track....

AND- Brown asked the Cali. state leg. to approve a $26.2 million loan from a state public transit account to fund high-speed rail planning just for the next year....thats money that is collected via DMV taxes fees etc.....

tis thing will gobble up $$ so far ahead that it will take 50 years after its built, IF ever to see one dollar net, I seriously doubt they will ever, even run flat.

Remember, it is our responsibility as middle class taxpayers to support mass transit so that the poor have a way to get around. Oh wait! Something isn't right there.

Immie

 

[Trajan]

 

[Political Junky]

Today's conservatives would never have supported the transcontinental railroad, nor the transcontinental highway system.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Today's conservatives would never have supported the transcontinental railroad, nor the transcontinental highway system.

No shit. They wouldn't of want to the moon or allow a public school system.

 

[Meister]

Today's conservatives would never have supported the transcontinental railroad, nor the transcontinental highway system.

Once you get your ass handed to you and you can no longer argue the debate, this is what you resort to?

 

[Trajan]

Today's conservatives would never have supported the transcontinental railroad, nor the transcontinental highway system.

thats pretty ridiculous, even for you.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Today's conservatives would never have supported the transcontinental railroad, nor the transcontinental highway system.

thats pretty ridiculous, even for you.

How is it not true? Of course both parties are to blame that our infrastructure is 50 years behind the times.