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California debates future of Central Valley high speed rail line
The US has little forward thinking these days. The last great forward thinking was during the 1960s and the space race. US technology today is iPods and other forms of entertainment.
Our lack of commitment and political Will will lead to our slipping behind the rest of the developed world.
Please, people with common sense must prevail. The high speed rail concept for California is a political pork barrel and is a drain on the populace’s pocket book. Please don’t build it, its stupid.
Not all infrastructure is worth its cost. What is the need for HSR in CA? Simply matching existing end-to-end air travel times? How much market share would that claim, and what is that worth? Seems like a huge price tag to the public, already in debt, for modest benefits.
HSR presently is way too expensive. Dump it for now. We’re ignoring an obvious, needed fix right under our noses.
For 40 years, Amtrak limps along with always too-little funding, freight interference, micro- or incompetent management. But, ridership increases. So for now how about, at least,
funding it, maybe expanding it, with the HSR money?
The other problems may even shrink.
Too many managers, too many agencies, too many backsides to cover. To the taxpayer, it is all “the government” and it needs to get its act together.
Echoing the thought of an earlier poster, perhaps we’d be better served by spending some of the HSR dollars on today’s rail service, before we rush off to kneel at the the altar of HSR. Spend on existing rails to allow increased speeds and frequency. Invest is the necessary infrastructure (inviting stations, amenities like wi-fi on the spotless passenger cars, parking, crew training, etc.) If a pleasant, frequent, reliable, hassle free rail service became available within California, perhaps any time advantage of the airline experience would be overcome by the attractiveness of a train ride.