California High-Speed Rail

[Morrigoon]

I guess this topic's in the news again these days. Curious what everyone thinks about it.

This last trip to my Dad's (from which I have just returned), I actually looked into rail options. The biggest problem is, there really isn't a way to take a train directly from LA to San Francisco. All the routes involve switching to buses, and sometimes if you're lucky, back to trains. It's no freaking wonder nobody takes a train in this state. How stupid is it that we don't have a direct route to SF?

What I really don't get is why they're building the first segment of the new high-speed train in the least useful spot (Fresno to Bakersfield).

Recent article about the high-speed rail project

[Betty]

Well - I guess that answers my question about taking the train to San Fran this summer for a wedding. Damn.

[BarTopDancer]

Meh. I'd prefer they improve the rail system between SD/OC/LA first so I can take some sort of rail to the Honda Center or LA and not have to worry about getting back home before the sun goes down.

[Morrigoon]

I've given up on trying to take the train for local commute distances. Just doesn't pencil out against driving, even with gas prices what they are. Looked at going from here to ABG's once, and extreme inconvenience aside (would have to depart at like 6am and leave like 2 hours after arriving) it was also $20 EACH WAY, which was way more than filling my tank AND would take hours longer.

But a long trip like going to SF gives the train a chance of being worth it. (price dependent)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I am under the impression that they are building the least useful bit first because it's the easiest bit to build, being mostly in the middle of nowhere. One of the biggest obstacles to the train (other than cost, of course) is all the areas you have to go through. Getting one town on board is bad enough, with all the various property, city policies, elected officials who want to make a point about budgetary concerns, and NIMBYs....it will be a major miracle to get all the cities to go for it.

Personally, I think it's obvious and needs to happen.

[Ghoulish Delight]

$20 each way? Unless you were riding with 2 people I think you might have misread the fare or missed a cheaper way. I made it from Orange to LAX for < $10 via rail and bus, with relative ease (and in less time than it would have taken to drive in mid-day traffic.

I'm fully aware that the high speed rail is impractical, overpriced, and wasteful. But so was the Brooklyn Bridge. I'm okay with a bit of impracticality if it's paid back, even in intangible ways. And in my opinion, the rail has a chance of doing that. California relies on tourism, and as a state hasn't done much of late to keep itself in the tourist spotlight. I love novelty factor of the train. It'll draw attention, and it'll (hopefully) continue the momentum that the concept of train (and other transit) has gained here recently, which we sure as hell need more of (LA transit is a ways away from good, but it's take huge leaps forward).

Do it because it's nifty, damnit! What's wrong with nifty every once in a while?

Of course I have no doubt that the leadership is perfectly capable of turning it along the way from comically impractical to bankruptily disasterous. But if the risk of failure keeps us from trying anything overreaching ever again, than we're pretty well doomed.

[Morrigoon]

I'm actually behind it. I don't understand why there isn't a direct/express train route LA to SF already. The whole train/bus thing is ridiculous. For the right price, I'd take a train.

[Kevy Baby]

Personally I think it would be much easier to build one between LA and Lost Wages. More open space.

[Ghoulish Delight]

But 2 different states involved.

[BarTopDancer]

But a train station in state line. The train stops on the CA side, everyone exits and gets on the next one at the other side of the border. Or um Amtrak goes between states. Why can't they launch a bullet line?