Sep 28, 2012
CA High-Speed Rail
For years now, the plans for a high-speed rail network in California have been out there, inching forward slowly with occasional financial roadblocks along the way. But now it looks like the first phase will actually start construction soon as a measure to raise funding through a municipal bond sale has passed in the California state legislature. A recent vote approved the bond sale that will raise $4.5 billion total, with $2.6 billion of that going toward the initial stretch of the rail network. That first phase will be a 130-mile section that connects Madera and Bakersfield in the state's Central Valley. The next phase will be to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with trains traveling at 220 mph, and then ultimately span all the way from San Diego to Sacramento. The network will include major stops in between and connect into existing railway infrastructure. The bond sale also includes $1.9 billion for improvements to regional rail networks like electrifying the Caltran San Jose - San Francisco commuter line.
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Exciting... but I wonder how long before it catches on and the powers that be can see the cost-benefit of having high speed rail. Also, if Atlas had really shrugged, I bet Dagny Taggart would have gotten behind a project like this, especially nationally..!
ReplyDeleteTime may have come, but to kill the love of us citizens for the auto, is very hard to do. We Americans are in love with that piece of machinery!
ReplyDeleteTexas wants to build one from Houston to Dallas, but I say we already have that: Southwest Airlines!
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of criticism about this within the state ... I think mostly because it sounds like the plan for the stations is from what I understand kind of inconvenient ... in far-flung locations that most people don't get to. But I haven't been following it closely enough. Like you say, it's been discussed for ages. I've always like the idea.
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