Comments on: Sweeping new legal challenge to bullet train

By: Bill Gore

Bill Gore — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 21:37:57 +0000

There’s NOTHING like a good internecine family feud for sheer ferocity. Finally the nimbies and the eco-facsists have gotten their act together. This should be fun to watch as progressives agonize over which side of the fence they should sit on.

By: David Wiltsee

David Wiltsee — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 19:35:30 +0000

A parallel federal EIS should be performed prior to spending a dime of federal transportation money on this HSR project.
And any court decisions in denial about inconsistencies between the current project and that approved by voters should be appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.
This debacle trumps the Bay Bridge fiasco, and needs to be put to sleep ASAP.

By: Rob Anderson

Rob Anderson — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:19:31 +0000

Mr. Allen ignores the reality: the state doesn’t even have enough money available to build the first segment. The project has morphed into something completely different than what voters approved with only 52% of the vote in 2008.

By: Bill - San Jose

Bill - San Jose — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 15:17:03 +0000

Thank you Robert for at least bringing a viable mass transit option to this subject.

Nuclear weapons and freeways was the call back in the day.

Freeways are all we need anymore so enough of this folly and let’s put this high speed monster to sleep once and for all:

Sierra Pacific forests consume 96,207437 tons of CO2 per annum. That works out to the CO2 emitted by 17,492,262 vehicles per annum. Make more efficient cars, make better freeways and enjoy the beauty that is California. (from our cars or from the trains we have, your choice)

Cheers.

By: Robert S. Allen

Robert S. Allen — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 02:01:34 +0000

2008 Prop 1A’s “Safe, Reliable” HSR on Caltrain would be NEITHER SAFE NOR RELIABLE. Stop HSR to the Bay Area at San Jose, with nearly seamless transfers there to Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, VTA Light Rail, and the planned SV BART. Squander no more HSR money on Caltrain! HSR needs a secure track, i.e., grade separated and fenced against intrusion.

Then up-grade UP/Amtrak East Bay Mulford route from San Jose to a transfer station at the BART overhead in Oakland (6 minutes from San Francisco’s Embarcadero station with a train every 4 minutes) and on to Sacramento: no costly trans-Bay HSR crossing!

We can grade separate and fence freeways all over the state. I see no reason we can’t do the same for an 800-mile stretch of double-track railroad at reasonable cost.

Robert S. Allen (925) 449-1387
BART Director, District 5, 1974-1988
Retired, SP (now UP) Western Division, Engineering/Operations