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The rail authority said the goal is to have the section between Bakersfield and Merced operational between 2030 and 2033.

That section is about 260 miles long via hwy 99. It takes about 2.5 hours to drive, depending on car and driver.

If one were to take a high speed rail from Bakersfield to Merced, here's what it might entail...

1. Buy a ticket (won't be cheap, even if subsidized)

2. Drive to HSR station, and park (and pay for parking), and check bags

3. Go through security

4. Board and ride train for 260 miles (if the train was not late. Most likely, the train is running late. Trains are so frequently late.)

5. Get luggage

6. Rent a car or obtain a Taxi.

So, to take the "bullet train", a prospective rider would pay more, much much more, for a trip that would take longer, perhaps hours (days?) longer .

And, taking a few steps back, we can see why no one, save for some hopeless lefty train romantics and some obedient Dem serfs, would ever consider taking the unfortunately mis-named "high speed" rail.

Something else to consider, Bakersfield and Merced (which are very nice in their special ways) are not vacation or visitation centers of the once Golden State. The folks wanting to travel between the two destinations comprise a remarkably select group.

As one who has been riding trains in the Northeast corridor for years, I have the opposite experience. Cars around here are a pain in the neck. I could get to my Midtown Manhattan office from my home in just over an hour by car on a good traffic day, but two hours on an average traffic day. Then I'd have to pay $41 to hand my car to some non-English speaking person so he can triple-park it in some darkened subterranean garage. At the end of the day, I have to give a 30 minute notice to the garage so they can peel it out of there to hand back to me so I can struggle with Manhattan traffic for a good half hour before I find my way to an actual highway of sorts.

Contrast that to an hour ride on the Metro North commuter rail where I can get some productive work done to and from the office. Maybe even a beer on the way back (yes, they allow that). I get dumped in Grand Central which is a five minute walk from my office. At the end of the day, I have an easy drive home from Westport, CT on mostly country backroads.

Same with getting to the NYC airports (LaGuardia and JFK), all by train, no having to hand my car over to sketchy people at those airport parking lots, no worrying about traffic in Queens (which is bad 20 hours a day). Worse case scenario is having to summon an Uber if I get in late at night but it's still far better than dealing with my own car.

My point is that trains aren't all that bad when done somewhat right.

Can you really get away averaging 104 mph? If so, I want to go.

A few years ago, I had to go from Baltimore to Boston for a meeting. Flying was far cheaper than Amtrack. amtrack was the same amount of time as driving.

I had to take some gear with me so I drove.