Comments on: De Leon hammers away at key idiocy of CA bullet-train plan

By: David M-B

David M-B — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 19:10:03 +0000

On the topic of commuter rail, the Sprinter rail line provided San Diego tax payers with a useful cost comparison with the BREEZE bus service during a unplanned shutdown last year:

Sprinter shutdown may be saving money

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/Mar/16/sprinter-bus-nctd-north-county-express-train/?#article-copy

Money quote (literally): “Decades from now, if high-density development and ridership blossom along the 22-mile Oceanside-to-Escondido rail corridor, the Sprinter could emerge as the smart, cost-effective choice, experts said…”

It’s also worth noting that 3/4 of the buses in the BREEZE fleet use compressed natural gas (CNG), which costs about half and reduces emissions by at least 40% compared to diesel.

By: David Wiltsee

David Wiltsee — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 18:25:16 +0000

The HSR Authority should be required to publish, ASAP, a definitive system plan and completion schedule, to include year-by-year capital improvements and assumptions about funding levels and funding sources. How can a program of such magnitude continue to be implemented in a vacuum of hard, cold, factual information?

The HSR Authority is playing an expensive, and legally questionable shell game that is destined to come crashing down at some point in the future.

By: Robert S. Allen

Robert S. Allen — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 16:23:00 +0000

BART is hardly “light rail”. It is rapid transit on secure rights of way – fenced and fully grade separated – designed for 80 mph operation. BART got its start with a 3-County bond issue in 1962, now runs in four counties, and is under construction into job-rich San Jose, the largest city in the Bay Area. The time is ripe for BART to annex San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

By: David M-B

David M-B — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 14:21:24 +0000

Robert – The BART light rail proposal back in ’64 made fiscal sense and had clear objectives and benefits. Same with Portland’s MAX, which was started back in ’78. That was then, as they say, and this is now.

Applications of “wheel technology” are numerous due to its flexibility, hence my championing of autonomous cars. Fixed rail, on the other hand, reminds me of minicomputers back in the early 1980’s. Ever hear of Data General or Control Data? Probably not. They were major players in the IT industry back then, but were overtaken (and eventually overwhelmed, along with DEC, Honeywell, and a host of other companies) in just over 10 years by the far more flexible and affordable PC technologies introduced by IBM and Apple.

By: Larry Gilbert

Larry Gilbert — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 14:04:53 +0000

Good morning Robert. While we admit having a massive shortfall in funds to fix our roads and bridges in a state where roughly 90% of us drive you promote taxpayer funded “social engineering.” Get us out of our cars. Having utilized HSR in Europe and Asia I am not closing my mind to the concept. Let me also point out that years ago I worked in NYC and used their very effective subway system which moves millions of people daily. This HSR was barely voter approved based on criteria that has not materialized. The promoters sold us on their ability to achieve both funding and speeds that are simply not going to happen. The House is controlled by the GOP. I met with Rep. Issa and discussed the Federal portion that was sold ot us by the proponents. It’s not going to happen. Beyond the initial $3 billion stimulus and some transfer from states that declined that money I was told that there will not be any additional federal funding for the choo choo. The HSR was not to to be subsidized which probably is the reason that there are no VC capitalists banging down the doors to jump in with their checkbooks nor do our cities have any cash for their expected contributions. I won’t debate ridership shortcomings, fares, nor environmental impacts which is another part of the HSR debate.

By: Robert S. Allen

Robert S. Allen — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 06:17:57 +0000

David, nearly 53 years ago the voters in three San Francisco Bay Area counties voted bonds for then-novel rail rapid transit, BART. Its grade separated tracks now reach into the region’s five major counties housing some six million residents.—

Chiding fixed rail as “19th century technology” makes about as much sense as calling the wheel an out-dated relic of cave-man days.

By: Robert S. Allen

Robert S. Allen — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 05:43:35 +0000

Californians voted in 2008 for Prop 1-A, “The Safe, Reliable…” High Speed Rail bonds. I neither support nor oppose HSR, but run on Caltrain tracks between San Jose and San Francisco, it would be NEITHER SAFE NOR RELIABLE. Initial HSR should end at San Jose, with seamless transfers there to Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, VTA, and SV BART. Safer, more reliable, much better, and far less costly. Don’t squander more HSR money on Caltrain!—

Plan later HSR from San Jose to Sacramento via the UP/Amtrak East Bay Mulford route, with a transfer station in Oakland at the BART overhead 6 minutes from downtown San Francisco’s Embarcadero station with a train every 4 minutes or oftener.

By: David M-B

David M-B — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 20:28:25 +0000

Fixed rail is 19th century technology and the most vocal and energetic supporters of this multi-billion dollar boondoggle are those whose pockets will be lined by all that lovely, magical gov’t money. By the time any part of this benighted project comes online, “smart grid” and other autonomous car tech will have rendered it utterly obsolete.

By: NorCal Libertarian

NorCal Libertarian — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 15:50:35 +0000

Why should I want to have my tax money used for something I’ll never use– unlesss I live to 150 years old? I’m not leaving this debt to my grandkids. Why also, should Northern and Eastern CA residents pay for something that doesn’t reach out to them? If this train started in Redding and had access along the line to the major HSR terminals, MAYBE it might garnoer more support, but for now, if you have a choice, why would you want to pay for something you probably won’t use? I’m glad Congress defunded monies alloted for HSR.

By: Robert S. Allen

Robert S. Allen — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 06:00:35 +0000

Sorry. HSR-High Speed Rail; VTA is Santa Clara County’s Valley Transit Authority; SV BART is Silicon Valley BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit’s extension into Santa Clara County; UP is for Union Pacific Railroad.
Prop 1A in 2008 was the statewide bond issue measure for “The Safe, Reliable High Speed Passenger Train Bond Act…”