Hahn: High-Speed Rail Project ‘Critical’ To Calif., U.S. Economy

CBSLA.com) ^ | December 6, 2012 1:08 PM | Jan Stevens

[BenLurkin]

TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) — A Southern California Congresswoman Thursday defended plans for a high-speed rail project despite spiraling costs and concerns about its long-term viability.

KNX 1070′s Jan Stevens reports Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Torrance) clashed with a Bakersfield lawmaker during a Transportation Committee hearing in Washington.

State legislators in July approved nearly $8 billion in spending on the first phase of the rail project that will ultimately connect the Southland to San Francisco.

Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) appealed to the Committee to review the business plan and to assess the viability of investing more funds into the project.

“There are concerns about the business plan itself, and equally concerning to me, just because we’ve invested money, does it mean we have to invest more?” McCarthy said. “Maybe we say, ‘No, we’re not gonna fund any more,’ and the savings should go to pay down our deficit.”

He warned the current plan would require borrowing a minimum of another $38 billion in federal funding to finish the project on time.

However, Hahn said the project will not only provide much-needed transportation alternatives, but will also bring jobs to thousands of Californians.

“Transportation congestion is strangling the business potential of our state and weighing down the economic activity that isn’t just critical to the success of California, but to the nation as a whole,” Hahn said.

Construction on the project is expected to begin next spring.

[Mr. Lucky]

The low speed rail lines on this route have long been money losers.

Isn't Union Pacific pretty much the most profitable railroad on the planet?

[jettester]

I’ve met and worked with her and she did not fall far from the tree.

[roadcat]

However, Hahn said the project will not only provide much-needed transportation alternatives, but will also bring jobs to thousands of Californians.

I'm sick and tired of these liberal a$$h*le politicians saying we need things for "thousands of jobs"! It's always a lie! Heck, let's build a monorail to Hawaii, that'll create thousands of jobs. But we do not need these things!

Let's spend money because it's critical and necessary, not because it's wonderful to have someone work on it (and worthless middlemen make up the bulk of "jobs"). High speed trains are trains to no where and don't benefit the majority of people who would never use it. You want transportation, provide more bus lines. Far cheaper and more flexible.

[vette6387]

“Passenger rail service has NEVER been profitable, and has always been subsidized by freight charges.”

That’s why there is an AMTRAK! There is no private passenger service that I know of in the US today, except for maybe the Wine Train up in Napa. But it’s a round trip to St. Helena and you don’t get to get off there. Good food and wine though!

[Nebr FAL owner]

High speed rail lines require many things . Long straight runs that don’t have towns & cities along the line because you have to slow down when going thru towns & cities to be safe due to city traffic & noise complaints . You need a dedicated rail line ie no freight trains on the same track as the high speed rail. most important of all is paying customers to ride the damn thing . if you don’t have these things you got a boondoggle ,nothing else.

[Osage Orange]

Ha!

[socialism_stinX]

You're right on target. High-speed rail will lose money in California for a long, long time, simply because in the foreseeable future people will still need cars to get around in California's major cities. By the time train passengers wait for the shuttle bus to the rental car company, stand in line to rent their cars, return their cars and take the shuttle back to the train station, and pay for their rental cars, they will have used up most of the time and all the money they saved by taking high-speed rail instead of driving. So the only people who will want to take the high-speed train are people who are on business and are staying reasonably close to the train station, or people who have family & friends who can pick them up at the train station. This eliminates a big group of potential riders and will cause high-speed rail to lose money at least until 2050. Quite possibly, high speed rail will never be able to break even on cash flow in CA.

For the foreseeable future, high-speed rail is really only going to work well in the Northeast in the Boston to Washington corridor where cities are more compact and it's easier to get around by walking and using cabs, and public transportation takes you to many more places than it cam take you to in CA. In the very long run, maybe in the second half of this century, when public transportation improves greatly in CA, then high-speed rail could make sense and at least break even. We shouldn't be spending tax money and borrowed money on this project until then.

[RobinOfKingston]

Critical?

Bull manure! Something we’ve never had does not somehow become critical to have.

Invariably, the more gubmint thugs lust after a thing, the more detrimental it is or will be to JQ Public. That’s Robin’s Law #3.

[socialism_stinX]

Just to clarify, business travelers who are staying reasonably close to the train station and doing business nearby will be able to take a taxi or a hotel shuttle bus from the train station to their hotel and to business meetings. Therefore the high-speed train will be convenient for these people and I’m sure many of them will choose to take the high-speed trains. But most of the people who still have to rent a car if they take the train will choose to drive their own car or take an airline flight, which will still be much faster between Northern California and Southern California.

[socialism_stinX]

Now that I think about it, since we’re all going to be subsidizing this high-speed train line with tax payments for a long long time, I’d rather build the train line from from LA to Las Vegas. At least then, when we get off the train in Vegas we’ll get free drinks from hot-looking waitresses as partial compensation for our tax subsidies. I suggest we re-route this train from LA to Las Vegas.

[morphing libertarian]

Brown should go to Vegas and meet with casino owners, mayor, and gov of Nevada. If they want to build line Cal will not provide tax money, but will expedite right of way and permits.

Line from Burbank to Palmdale and then barstow. Another from Ontario to Victorville to Barstow. One train from Barstow to Vegas.

Gambling on the train.

[Eye of Unk]

They would get more ridership and repeat ridership if instead the either restore or build modern replicas of the Golden Age steam locomotives. From the 21st Century Limited to my favorite of which I have almost every engine and passenger car is the Southern Pacific Daylight. Arguably one of the prettiest steam locomotives the GS-4.