High-speed rail taking shape even as opponents seek to kill it

Post by xapata » Mon, Feb 13, 2017, 4:35 AM UTC

milesrout wrote: post #140

shiny wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another potential concern is that it runs through some good farmland, which CA has some of the best of in the world. I would love to have an HSR along the coast however. When I was in Taiwan it was amazing being able to get to the bottom of the island in a couple hours.

>some good farmland, which CA has some of the best of in the world. Is that a joke? California is a terrible place to be farming. Farming in California is only viable because farmers are allowed unfettered access to water, depriving it from residents (who are told they should turn off the water in the shower while farmers are pouring untold millions of gallons on crops that could be grown somewhere actually suited to…

Post by capkutay » Mon, Feb 13, 2017, 4:47 AM UTC

datahack wrote: post #106

If I had known that they were going to run this through the Central Valley instead of down the coast where it belongs I never would have voted for it. It should have gone straight from la to Oakland or emeryville, turned and gone straight to Sacramento. Instead we have a convoluted mess of rail connections that take people places they don't even want to go (no offense to Bakersfield buts it's hardly a holiday destina…

Post by DrScump » Mon, Feb 13, 2017, 4:53 AM UTC

Neliquat wrote: post #159

milesrout wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the problem with the stupid American capitalist system. You have these sorts of problems. If it were all controlled by the Government, like it is in other countries, nobody would need to have 'priority'. You just schedule the trains properly.

Sounds great Benito.

Post by k_sh » Mon, Feb 13, 2017, 5:04 AM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #89

helthanatos wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

High speed trains are much better than flights for small commutes, after the expenses are payed, it will be cheaper, it's easier to get on a train than wait hours for flights to take off. High speed rails are the future; flights are the past. Why would you not want to see this work out? Flying is quite annoying because it has constant delays, TSA, and hours of waiting in between.

While I tend to agree, on the right routes, planes can easily run on an hourly shuttle schedule. As happens for some city pairs. And we're one attack away from potentially having increased security for trains.

Post by adventured » Mon, Feb 13, 2017, 5:14 AM UTC

jwatte wrote: post #153

klinquist wrote: post #148

One thing that nobody has mentioned - autonomous cars. Close to the time this will be completed, I assume I'll be able to sit in my vehicle and be shuttled from SF to LA in 5 hrs in the comfort of my own vehicle.

The car is slower, and an order of magnitude less efficient. And efficiency matters -- there's a limit to how much energy can be sustainably spent, and if transportation is more efficient, we get to do more other things.