[danh818]

Originally Posted by McRat

There is not enough demand to justify the costs.

Do they think it takes no energy to build a rail system? Net carbon footprint will make it a poor decision.

But understand, SF and LA run California. Anything they want, they get, and will make the rest of the state pay for it.

You said it MCRat. I Agree 100%. The really terrible thing is that the general public doesn't get much of a say in the matter. If people knew the real 'cost' it would have never made it this far.

I've lived in LA all my life and watched as perfectly good train tracks have been pulled up, land left dormant, only years later to be paved over to build special bus lanes. Buses are more than half empty, traffic collisions have gone way up, and the city combats this by installing traffic cameras that only exacerbate the problem so now they have to post humans to stand in the intersections and direct traffic. Now we're going back to trains? Insanity!

[Coley]

Gee. Here in Illinois, I can't wait for this dumbass state to copy Cal and vote to spend billions more THAT WE DON'T HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!
Really makes you wonder what they are using for brains.........
Vote cautiously this NOV.

[onegreenev]

Originally Posted by PhantomPholly

You haven't heard? The TSA is now monitoring both train stations and even bus stops. The madness never ends.

You mean the Totally Stupid Assholes are feeling up grandma again but targeted the bus stations? Holy Crap.

[onegreenev]

Originally Posted by Coley

Gee. Here in Illinois, I can't wait for this dumbass state to copy Cal and vote to spend billions more THAT WE DON'T HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!
Really makes you wonder what they are using for brains.........
Vote cautiously this NOV.

We all know who is GOING to win. It is not by your vote either. He won't be getting my vote. Puppets are running against him as a public distraction. None of the puppets are president material either. Again a public distraction. Brown has gotta go AGAIN.

[njloof]

Of course, with low interest rates the incentives for public and private investment alike have never been greater...

[PhantomPholly]

Originally Posted by onegreenev

You mean the Totally Stupid Assholes are feeling up grandma again but targeted the bus stations? Holy Crap.

Yeah - and it slows down things even more when granny goes through the line twice just to get squeezed...

[jeremyjs]

I'm curious how California is paying for it. Are they going to start writing more IOU's? I like the idea of high speed rail, but with the way the economy is and how tight federal, state and local budgets are, I have a hard time seeing how it makes sense right now.

[onegreenev]

Originally Posted by jeremyjs

I'm curious how California is paying for it.

You kidding? It comes from our pockets. High Speed trains are a cool idea but only if they actually work out for transportation. If its done for PR then it is totally wrong. It must be usable and viable. Knowing about the Light Rail in Sacramento it could work. But keeping the riff raff out is going to be tough.

[david85]

Originally Posted by jeremyjs

I'm curious how California is paying for it.

That was the first thing that popped into my head too.

"A few billion here, a few billion there and eventually you'll have to start spending real money."

[Caps18]

I wonder if they did any studies on what people wanted before they started this project.

I would rather have a train segregated on income, although the price you pay for a ticket would be the same. The wealthy might have spent more in taxes though. Controversial, but it is true and the reason this won't get anywhere. The rich won't ride it when they can spend a few bucks on gas. The middle class don't want to deal with the homeless riders. The poor just want a free ride from jumping the gate.

Next, I think people would rather have slow, frequent, and cheap, than fast and expensive. It also has to be just as easy and efficient as airline travel. I have sat in many airports and it is amazing how good they are at moving people and luggage around the world. If a train could go from LA to Vegas or LA to SF, while being electric and hauling cars for the price of a few gallons of gas, it could work, even if it took longer than the high speed rail.

The train also has to have sports bars, kid cars, fast food choices, and a high end quiet lounge. It needs to have car-wash type of automatic loading of cars and trucks. And it needs to have general passenger compartments that can carry a lot of people.