[Graeme]

CalPIRG promotes high-speed rail

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')embers of the California Public Interest Research Group at USC organized and attended a press conference in front of Los Angeles City Hall on Thursday to promote CalPIRG's spring break bike tour, a campaign raising awareness about the proposed high-speed rail line that would extend from Northern to Southern California.

The $9.9 billion bond needed to finance the train - which would be owned by the state - will be on the November ballot, CalPIRG advocate Emily Rusch said.

A CalPIRG press release predicts the train will take 92 million drivers off the road annually, which would reduce the need to expand highways and airports.

The total cost to build the high-speed rail is about $40 billion, however, on the ballot this November will be a bond of about $10 billion to begin the project. The estimated price for high-speed rail tickets from Los Angeles to San Francisco is expected to be around $55.

The $40 billion to build the high-speed rail system is less than the amount needed to expand California highways and airports, Rusch said.

[BicycleCommuter]

Every local, regional, or state govt should stop expanding road capacity and invest in bicycle, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure, especially electrified, non-petroleum based transit as well as non-motorized, transit oriented development.

[emersonbiggins]

This is probably going up for referendum at the worst possible time (an age of ballooning deficits in CA), except for anytime after it. The time for floating this was before the dot-com bust; they could actually be using it right about now, in fact, if that had taken place.

Here's hoping they vote for it, though. Zardoz, this means you.

[Graeme]

Michael Dukakis: Toll road bad news is high-speed rail good news

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he recent 8-2 California Coastal Commission vote against the Foothill-South Toll Road extension through Orange County may have been bad news for those who like to build and drive on crowded freeways, but it was great news for the traveling public.

The $1 billion its sponsors wanted to spend on a toll road could go a long way toward paying for the cost of that portion of the state's high-speed rail plan that could take travelers from Los Angeles to San Diego in 55 minutes and from Irvine to either of those cities in less than a half-hour while eliminating a lot of congestion on Interstate 5, not only in Orange County but along the entire route.


The proposed high-speed rail bond issue that will be on the ballot in November will carry an estimated cost of $9 billion. It would be matched by the federal government with a contribution that is less than the cost of a month of the Iraq war. And it could be supplemented by billions in contributions by major investors in development around the system's stations.

The bond issue is a small price to pay for a high-speed rail plan that will create thousands of jobs, reduce congestion on our highways and at our airports, cut pollution and global warming, help revitalize the state's older cities, preserve our parks for generations to come and save us a lot of pain at the pump.

It ought to be one of California's top priorities.

[alokin]

very nice, but too late.
The days of public spending are over.

[ReverseEngineer]

Obama has finally indicated a big infrastructure project to get a lot of Funny Money; Tres Gran Vitesse Obama Gotta love this quote:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')ou might as well have the government invest in nuclear-powered bicycles," Mitchell added. "That's probably the only thing I could imagine that would be more of a waste of money than inter-city rail.

[Voice_du_More]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ReverseEngineer', 'O')bama has finally indicated a big infrastructure project to get a lot of Funny Money;

Tres Gran Vitesse Obama

Gotta love this quote:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')ou might as well have the government invest in nuclear-powered bicycles," Mitchell added. "That's probably the only thing I could imagine that would be more of a waste of money than inter-city rail.

[Caffeine]

If it's actually implemented well, high speed rail sounds like a great idea, for areas with sufficient population density for this to be practical.

[alokin]

The thing would be to reactivate rail at all. The important issues are frequency and price and density of nets. You are not really served if you only get from one big city to the other and then have to rent a car, which adds to your traveling costs. High speed rails are in some cases very good, but they are much more expensive. Often a usual train which runs quite frequent and goes everywhere would do the same job, but this doesn't look anything as exciting as high speed rail.
Overall, the railway is the most effective transportation system, the most environmentally friendly, the most convenient, and the safest.
My only hope is that if the US works on their railway net that Australia will do the same.

[dinopello]

While the dollars are still modest, the attitude is a big change from previous administration who not only didn't have rail programs, and not only was opposed to state and local gov't using their Federal highway funds for rail projects but also actively worked to thwart locally funded rail efforts by throwing obstacles up via the DOT and EPA.

This group has a lot to do with the groundwork for the change

[Peepers]

Pres. Obama Press Briefing on High-Speed Rail

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/watch.aspx? ... HP-A-41630

Pres. Obama held a press briefing on high-speed rail’s affect on transportation, the economy and our dependence on foreign oil. He was joined by Vice Pres. Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.


And who is this insulated ignoramus "Mitchell" who was quoted in the initial post of this thread? Sometimes I don't think people get out much and experience the world.

And population density doesn't necessarily determine the success of passenger rail. France, home of the TGV and many other fast passenger rail services, has the same population density of Ohio.

Norway, with half the population density of West Virginia, has an amazing system of fast passenger rail services. West Virginia has one Amtrak train that runs three days a week.

Get out and see the world, people.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', 'W')hile the dollars are still modest, the attitude is a big change from previous administration

[The_Toecutter]

Hopefully this high speed rail system can be built before complete economic and governmental collapse occurs...

The airline industry, in all likilihood, will still argue against this becausde it will rely on government funding as they haver through modern history(hypocrites they are); had it not been for their lobbying, we may have had high speed rail systems connecting major cities in the southeastern US about 10 years ago.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', '
')
Finally someone other than me is realizing that the Obama administration is a marked change from BushCo.

[bencole]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ReverseEngineer', '
')So, is high speed rail going to help us, hurt os or make no difference at all?

Reverse Engineer

[mefistofeles]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he money needed for the president's plans begin with an $8 billion "down payment" from the stimulus bill, to be followed, he hopes, by $1 billion per year for five years, requested in the federal budget to accelerate the program.

[heroineworshipper]

Guess $700 billion infrastructure plan #2 didn't pan out. A better investment is a 1 way train to Calif* from everywhere else, since that's the natural flow.

Oh yeah, that 10 foot long Las Vegas monorail didn't go to the airport because of the taxi union, not that you'll be living there much longer. U need a 1 way monorail to Calif*.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bencole', '
')The high speed is basically just a convenience for commuters who live far away from their job.

[Newfie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bencole', '
')The high speed is basically just a convenience for commuters who live far away from their job.

[TheDude]

I'm for it, so long as it stops at the In-And-Out-Burger.

$8 billion might lay ca. 200 miles of track, judging by a European example I took a quick look at: LGV Sud-Est - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Total in 2007 Euros would've been 10 billion euros = 13.17 billion USD.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')ince 1980, every state effort in the United States to build high-speed rail has failed. Budget-battered California has proposed a 220-miles-per-hour bullet train that would link San Francisco to Los Angeles in two-and-a-half hours -- with a price tag of $45 billion.