Posted on 11/10/2004 3:09:09 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - California High Speed Rail Authority officials unveiled a tentative map of routes for the proposed statewide bullet train on Wednesday - a plan that includes a 120-mile, nonstop stretch between Bakersfield and Fresno.
That Central Valley section of the line, which was recommended by the authority's staff, bypasses Visalia despite the city's pleas for a stop.
The 700-mile system, with 200 mph-plus trains, would cost about $35 billion and carry as many as 68 million passengers a year by 2020. Voters will decide a bond measure in 2006 to pay for part of the project. Construction on major parts of the electric train system could start in 2008.
Visalia officials, bothered by the thought of the state's major transportation project zooming by at 200 miles per hour, asked that the city not be dropped from the map.
The city was slighted in two ways - two routes from Fresno to Bakersfield had been considered, with one running through Visalia and the other through Hanford, in Kings County to the west. The staff recommended that the rail follow the Hanford route, but also suggested that the 120-mile stretch run nonstop.
Visalia City Councilman Jesus Gamboa asked the High Speed Rail board consider that the populations of Tulare and Kings counties are growing at a faster clip than the rest of the state.
"Without a high-speed rail station in Visalia, eventually 1 million people will be underserved," Gamboa said.
The city has until December, when a final vote is made on the routes, to persuade board members to include Visalia.
If successful, the city stands a good chance of competing with Hanford for the route, said Glenn Morris, executive director of the Visalia Economic Development Corp. said.
In September, the board unveiled proposed routes in the Los Angeles area. The board will make a final vote on all routes in December.
The map unveiled Wednesday included the routes from Sacramento, through the Central Valley to Bakersfield, and routes from Los Angeles' Union Station to downtown San Diego. It also included the Bay Area routes - where trains are proposed to start in Oakland and at San Francisco's Transbay Terminal and run south to San Jose.
The staff also recommended to nix a spur that would run from Mira Mesa to San Diego's Qualcomm Park because the panel's goal has been to locate the high speed rail stations near airports and city centers whenever possible.
The Qualcomm station would be several miles from downtown San Diego, and would require extensive tunnels under a congested city to link the heart of the city and the airport to the train.
Instead, the staff recommended that the high speed rail run from Mira Mesa to a station in downtown San Diego, which is less than two miles from the airport.
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On the Net:
California High Speed Rail Authority: http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/
you know, i vacation in california periodically. how about a spur to central, ohio just for me? if we are going to do this job, we might as well do it right and spend liberally on it.
ok, nevermind. How much will it cost to go to Mars?
Yeah it's expensive...there's plenty of wasted money, less "Civit Cat Anal Gland research grants and welfare spending might help.
USA has never shied away from a challenge...this is just another...let's DO IT!
if it were practical, it would be here.
of course, our interstate system, subsidized by tax dollars, offers shippers a cheaper alternative to rail, in the way of trucks. further, trucks damage the roads proportionally to the SQUARE of the axle weight, while license plate fees are linearly proportional to the axel weight. therefore, truckers get a double subsidy. there is a side of me that thinks if the interstates were turned over to private industry we would see more rail traffic because it would be practical.
Hey .. the CA idiots (I can say that - I live here), voted for THREE (3) BILLION in bonds for stem cell.
I thought this high speed rail had been dumped as too expensive ..??
Now that the public has been gullible enough to vote for 3 billion in bonds .. maybe this is a good time to float this albatross again.
Good grief .. no wonder I'm looking at AZ.
Uh, we're talking California here, which is almost exactly the same size as Honshu (the main island of Japan).
As for the rest of the country, intercity rail is practical if done overnight. At present technology speeds, that limit would translate to about 2500 miles per city pair. Denver-Chicago certainly qualifies, as does Chicago-Washington, Chicago-Minneapolis, Seattle-LA, etc.
Amtrak California is what's known as a 503(b) operation, with reference to the National Rail Passenger Act of 1970. Currently, in California, Amtrak bids against only one private firm, Herzog, which currently operates the Altamount Commuter Express in the Bay Area.
The same as every freeway project built since the 1960s. Witness the current Big Dig fiasco...
Money down RATHOLE. If it's ever built which I doubt given California's finances.
Could we PLEASE agree to begin all light rail discussion and articles with a BARF ALERT?
Why cant we build the train Over the california aqueduct since we already have the Easment and we could create a cover that would reduce evaporation and we would not have to buy land to build it. Here is a graphic of the location. What do you think?
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lalc.k12.ca.us/uclasp/issues/bringing_water/4_aqued.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.lalc.k12.ca.us/uclasp/issues/bringing_water/page1.htm&h=445&w=394&sz=58&tbnid=sMuMxHdpC9gJ:&tbnh=123&tbnw=109&start=15&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCalifornia%2Baqueduct%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN
So, it will make sense when Cali gets the same population as Honshu - about 90 million people.
Someone forgot to ping Willie Green. You know the unspoken rule, when it concerns High Speed Rail, Willie Green's the one.
Welcome to the state of bankrupcy, hey atleast it's governed by the terminator.....
because that would save money
I wonder why they don't use a centralized system instead of a single line, like they do with airplanes... have the rails stop in one giant hub... that way, a maximum of only one stop is needed??
Only thing is you have to get off in Bakersfield, catch a bus to LA, and then get on another train.
Why don't they just put in some tracks between Bakersfield and LA, and see just how many are willing to take the train. I know it will be cheaper then what they are planning here.
Actually, this chart shows the Saudis at No. 1, with Mexico 2nd, and Canada 3rd. (But you were close).
http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/rankings/crudebycountry.htm
Now WHY would I be interested in getting from one city to another 2500 miles apart OVERNIGHT when I can get from anywhere in the USA to anywhere else in half a day (or less) by air???
High speed rail for long distance travel will NEVER compete with air travel.
They must swap places year to year then. But the chart certainly shows that we are not as reliant on middle eastern oil as much as people think.
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