Comments on: Massive transportation bill has no $ for CA bullet train

By: Spurwing Plover

Spurwing Plover — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 15:00:35 +0000

HOW THE ALGORINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

By: Ulysses Uhaul

Ulysses Uhaul — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 16:55:48 +0000

During Christmas it is sacrilege to not love choo choo’s….

Poo Pie is the Grinch!

By: Rex the Wonder Dog!

Rex the Wonder Dog! — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 16:48:51 +0000

In reply to Rob Anderson.

You are correct Rob, the dam has broken….;

California Democrat withdraws support for the high-speed rail project

Assemblywoman Patty Lopez (D-San Fernando) says she is withdrawing her support for the project, and she says five other Democrats in the Legislature are reviewing their positions.”I don’t see any benefit…The money we are going to spend on it is crazy,” she said. Public opinion polls have found that support for the project has eroded as costs have risen.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-bullet-cracks-20151209-story.html

By: Rob Anderson

Rob Anderson — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 22:15:20 +0000

Even the special interests—including of course the unions—can’t keep this dumb project alive, though they would like to. Looks like the Democrats and President Obama have at last given up on this boondoggle, and I say that as a Democrat.

By: Rex the Wonder Dog!

Rex the Wonder Dog! — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 19:12:26 +0000

In reply to Julie. LOL..what "should" happen has nothing to do with reality when special interests control everything.

By: Rex the Wonder Dog!

Rex the Wonder Dog! — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 19:10:40 +0000

In reply to Ronald. Since state law says that the system MUST OPERATE WITHOUT A TAXPAYER SUBSIDY It doesn't matter what state law says, the state judges will simply not follow the law if it conflicts with their special interest puppet masters, public unions. Look at what the DCA did to Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny's trial court ruling that the BB Gun Train currently being developed was NOT the development plan the voters HAD APPROVED. Gutted Kenny, and his spot on ruling. $pecial interests rule CA. Our local gov, our courts, our entire state are being run by special interest $$$$$$.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 19:06:47 +0000

Two things: First, the voters passed a ballot proposition that has not been remotely met by proponents of high-speed-rail. It should require a new ballot proposition to move this project forward. In the private sector, when you can’t raise the private capital you promise, the project and/or company will fold or refocus. Second, with four or more years of drought and systemic water shortages in California, the place that needs major capital investment is in water. With a Governor committed to addressing climate change, one wonders why he can’t make the shift to this far more important project.

By: Rex the Wonder Dog!

Rex the Wonder Dog! — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 19:00:36 +0000

“California’s controversy-plagued bullet train project got a major boost from the Obama administration and Congress in 2009 when more than $3 billion in federal stimulus funding was sent to the state government to buttress the $9.9 billion in bond seed money that state voters had allocated …”
The $13 billion “seed money” is a laughable joke. It will cost close to half a trillion when this quagmire gets finished, and then that “seed money” will be just JOKE 3% OF OVERALL COSTS!!

Current price tag $70 BILLION.
True price tag = $70 billion guesstimate, plus real costs, x6 = $420 billion true cost.

$13 billion x 100, x / $420 Billion = 3%

By: Ronald

Ronald — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 18:56:59 +0000

Since state law says that the system MUST OPERATE WITHOUT A TAXPAYER SUBSIDY, the end results may necessitate higher fares per mile, compared with other similar rail systems worldwide, this will adversely affect ridership projections. Thus, it’s understandable that an investment in the bullet train provides significant ROI risks to that invested capital.

The bullet train will be competing against the multitude of airports in CA as well as the constantly developing technologies that are affecting the way we do business. Just like the land phones that have become obsolete as a result of cell phone technologies, future travel needs may be impacted in the coming decades as a result of the ever growing virtual world.

Driving or flying from a multitude of airports can be done at virtually any time of day, but the inflexibility of how many train departure times would be available from a limited number of trains would impact the convenience factor offered by cars and planes and thus also adversely affect train ridership. The snowballing effect of lower ridership would be higher fares for those that do use the train as there would be no state subsidies available. Lower ridership would further impact the ROI risks for invested capital.

By: David Wiltsee

David Wiltsee — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 18:15:26 +0000

Turn out the lights. The party’s over.