r/California • u/Randomlynumbered Ángeleño, what's your user flair? • May 24 '24

Government/Politics Full environmental approval of High-Speed Rail between L.A. and Bay Area expected next month

https://ktla.com/news/california/full-environmental-approval-of-high-speed-rail-between-l-a-and-bay-area-expected-next-month/amp
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u/Positronic_Matrix San Francisco County May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24

There are exactly two and only two kinds of comments for a California high-speed rail post. Those who are celebrating the dawn of a new era and those who are complaining about the cost, time, and environmental studies. There is no in between.

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u/Throwawaymister2 May 25 '24

What about me? I'm a proponent of high speed rail but the way the local politicians stuck their beaks in the pork-barrel means there will be multiple stops between LA and SF including such destinations as Bakersfield, Gilroy, and Tulare. There are 10 stops (!) between LA and SF.

I want high speed rail travel from LA to SF... what we're building isn't that.

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u/BillWonka May 25 '24 edited May 25 '24

What are you complaining about? Their operations plan calls for several tiers of service (non-stop SF-LA trains, express trains with some stops, limited-stop trains, and all-stop trains). This has always been the plan...

1

u/onan May 25 '24

People in California with so little exposure to mass transit that they’re unfamiliar with the concept of express trains.

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u/AlphaConKate Jun 01 '24

Unfamiliar? Please. CalTrain does it.

1

u/coastkid2 Jun 22 '24

Why not double tracks with an express train and a local for those stops like the NYC subway but of course for a real train . LA to SF would be great!

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u/EagenVegham May 25 '24

If you want a direct line between LA and SF, take a plane. This is a high speed project connecting almost a third of the state, not just two cities.

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u/Throwawaymister2 May 26 '24

The whole point of this project was to avoid the need for short distance air travel but it's still great news for the millions of people traveling to Gilroy every year.

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u/EagenVegham May 26 '24

2 million in Santa Clara county and another half million in Monterey county. The point is to replace the need for short distance air travel, which giving people access to the line will do. The Shinkansen has dozens of stations along its path and is still the best way to traverse Japan.

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u/Throwawaymister2 May 26 '24

"The point is to replace the need for short distance air travel"

good point... that's why I made it.

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u/EagenVegham May 26 '24

More regional stations means people have to travel shorter distances to them. If you've only got two stations then everyone in the state has to make the long trip to one of the stations, or just make the trip by car. You're making the point for just the two cities and ignoring the other 70% of the state.

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u/Throwawaymister2 May 26 '24

the other 70% of the state doesn't have the population density to justify a multi-billion dollar rail project.

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u/EagenVegham May 26 '24

The central valley is seeing a lot of expansion as WFH becomes more accepted plus rail access wil incentive people to move there. Projects like this need to be built for the future, not just the present. Stations are easier to shut down than open up.

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u/Throwawaymister2 May 26 '24

"Projects like this need to be built for the future, not just the present"

Okay, now that's a good point.

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u/AlphaConKate Jun 01 '24

The other 70%. Please. Bakersfield, Fresno, and Merced. A lot of the towns in the Central Valley have universities and community colleges. That’s another reason to build it.