California High-Speed Rail

[CHapp]

Originally Posted by rocketman_95046

Environmental study, alignment approved for high speed rail

Well, glory! Finally!

And yes, nequidnimis: Sacramento should be part of the system as early as possible.

[Smiley Person]

made the map into a political postcard, gonna mass-produce these and pass 'em out to friends, classmates, etc. Any suggestions before I send this off to the printers next week?

[bmfarley]

Originally Posted by Smiley Person

made the map into a political postcard, gonna mass-produce these and pass 'em out to friends, classmates, etc. Any suggestions before I send this off to the printers next week?

Double check if Gilroy should be identified as a station. AB 3034 currenlty/recently vetted in the legislature and may have removed it.

You may want to consider other benefits to cite.... maybe ones that have polled well. I suspect stuff like energy independance or alternative to airport and roadway expansions???

Looks good.

Robert Cruickshank should know at http://cahsr.blogspot.com/

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by Smiley Person

"Vancouver"
"Portland"

Sea...what?

[BrianSac]

Your card is a Fraud. A Yes votes builds nothing except for the green line in your map (Irvine to SF).

Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Union City, Oakland airport, Oakland, and Industry, Ontario airport, Riverside, Murietta, Escondido, University City, San Diego have absolutely no guarantee of ever being included in the system.
The bay area cities listed above at least have the opportunity to connect to HSR via BART, but Sacramento and San Diego have no direct convenient connection to HSR.

Sacramentans, San Diegans and all those other cities will have to pay to build this system yet not be directly connected to it.

[Gordo]

^^^And a no vote builds absolutely nothing and eliminates the possibility of future service to Sacramento and San Diego. Every Californian helped pay to build the California aqueduct, yet there are many cities not connecting to it. For the good of the state, we need to begin somewhere. It makes sense to build between the two largest metro areas first. Now is not the time to be selfish. I hate the alignment that was chosen for entry into the Bay Area, but will support the measure as much as I possibly can - just because we can't afford to pass on the good to wait for the perfect.

[BrianSac]

Whos being selfish? Its simple, include Sacramento in the first phase and no one is being selfish. To build from Merced to Sacramento in the first phase is not asking a lot.

[Smiley Person]

Hey, I want there to be a line to Sacto in the first phase also... I live in the Bay Area and go to Sacto more often than I go to LA, and I can't quite figure out why the easiest segment of track through flat farmland is not in the first phase.

The map is intentionally optimistic (Tijuana, anyone? Arcata?), it is after all a political ad.

Anyway, one thing to start thinking of for Sacramento and San Diego, is a voter-initiated ballot measure. Something tells me if the main bond had been done via signatures and petition it would have made it to the ballot a long time ago, rather than all the two-year delays its faced up to now.

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by Smiley Person

made the map into a political postcard, gonna mass-produce these and pass 'em out to friends, classmates, etc. Any suggestions before I send this off to the printers next week?

Man, Fresno got big letters and we didn't? My life has no meaning anymore...

[bmfarley]

Originally Posted by BrianSac

Your card is a Fraud. A Yes votes builds nothing except for the green line in your map (Irvine to SF).

Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Union City, Oakland airport, Oakland, and Industry, Ontario airport, Riverside, Murietta, Escondido, University City, San Diego have absolutely no guarantee of ever being included in the system.
The bay area cities listed above at least have the opportunity to connect to HSR via BART, but Sacramento and San Diego have no direct convenient connection to HSR.

Sacramentans, San Diegans and all those other cities will have to pay to build this system yet not be directly connected to it.

Haven't you been paying attention? AB 3034 changes the language of the bond measure to make the entire network permissible expenditures for the system. That includes the Altamont corridor and Sacramento.

[J_Taylor]

Originally Posted by BrianSac

Sacramentans, San Diegans and all those other cities will have to pay to build this system yet not be directly connected to it.

Can you bring the tech on this like I have has before...

[nickkoto]

I have to say, as someone who lives in the metro Phoenix area, I hope you all can pass this. The US really needs to get off the gasoline/jet fuel dependency and this is the only remotely promising thing out there with any kind of long-distance potential.


It would be really cool if some modular cargo capacity could be integrated into a car at the back of each train. If they could make a series of pallets that conform to the shape of the rail cars and load/offload really quickly, much like in modern cargo aircraft, I'm sure that at least a few companies could find a way to utilize it and pay a fee to move their freight. It's not like you don't see plenty of trucks on the 5 and 101.

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by Smiley Person

Hey, I want there to be a line to Sacto in the first phase also... I live in the Bay Area and go to Sacto more often than I go to LA, and I can't quite figure out why the easiest segment of track through flat farmland is not in the first phase.

Couldn't Sacramentans use a direct link to the Bay Area moreso than one to Fresno?

Would it be of any consolation to them to transfer the existing Caltrain trainsets to the Capitol Corridor, since Caltrain won't be needing them anymore with the HSR running on its tracks at 15 minute intervals? Perhaps designate their use as limited stop semi-high speed express trains.

[krudmonk]

What about the people who use Caltrain now?

[Gordo]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

What about the people who use Caltrain now?

Caltrain will have new electrified trainsets, in addition to the HSR trains that would be on its right of way. The entire Caltrain corridor from SJ to SF will be quad tracked.

[innov8]

Originally Posted by bmfarley

Haven't you been paying attention? AB 3034 changes the language of the bond measure to make the entire network permissible expenditures for the system. That includes the Altamont corridor and Sacramento.

Changes the language? It's a total smokescreen to get San Diego and
Sacramento voters to vote yes, that's all. Think about it, who will
the HSR board eliminate from the first phase other that San Diego and Sac?
Not LA, SF or any city in between, that's for sure. And this whole deal about
each region having to lobby to be included in the first phase is a a bunch of crap too.
It's only meant to give Sac and San Diego voters hope so they will vote yes in Nov.

Seriously, if anyone votes for this bond thinking Sac has a legitimate chance
of being included in phase one, your dreaming. Why don't they just say all
planned HSR lines will be built and stop this shell game if we really had a chance.

I would rather see this money spent on upgrading local and regional rail systems.

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by Gordo

Caltrain will have new electrified trainsets, in addition to the HSR trains that would be on its right of way. The entire Caltrain corridor from SJ to SF will be quad tracked.

I'm not quite clear on this. Are people suggesting that HSR would replace Caltrain along the peninsula? It has like three stops over the entire route.

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

I'm not quite clear on this. Are people suggesting that HSR would replace Caltrain along the peninsula? It has like three stops over the entire route.

That was the impression I got from the 15-minute frequency specified in the handout, and figured that would make Caltrain redundant. Long distance service won't be more frequent than local service, will it?

[Gordo]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

I'm not quite clear on this. Are people suggesting that HSR would replace Caltrain along the peninsula? It has like three stops over the entire route.

Not exactly.

The Caltrain right of way will be used for HSR. The entire length of the right of way from SJ to SF will be quad tracked. Two tracks will primarily be used for HSR and two track will primarily be used for Caltrain. However, there will still be times (and the opportunity to do so) that both HSR and Caltrain will use all four tracks (for passing, etc). All four tracks will be electrified and Caltrain will have entirely new consists of EMUs. Service for ALL stations on the Caltrain line will be GREATLY improved, and the only stations that will lose service will be stations that probably shouldn't exist, or oppose more service (Atherton and Hayward Park come to mind).

[Nutterbug]

HSR will replace the Baby Bullets, right?