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Re: Road-Rail Grade Separations
Author: Margaret (SP fan)
Date: 03-04-2015 - 00:01
mook ----
Thanks so much for those very interesting facts.
Few people seem to realize how huge the costs
are for major infrastructure changes and improvements.
As you pointed out, the costs for just grade-
separating that one Metrolink line alone are simply
staggering.
About running HSR down the middle of a freeway:
Not practical unless and until ways can be found to
keep ALL freeway-accident debris -- and vehicles! --
completely off the right of way. BART has continual
problems on the Pleasanton line from this very problem --
accident debris gets onto BART's ROW.
Having said that, I still have to say that it is a real shame
that our top California government officials are hell-bent to
keep wasting more and more of our very very scarce state
funds on this ridiculously over-priced and completely
unnecessary train -- when we desperately need much better
public transit of all sorts, especially rail transit -- because rail
transit often runs in dedicated private RoW and thus does not
get stuck in highway traffic jams. And this does not even begin
to address the incredibly shabby way most poor and disabled
California residents have been treated by state government.
This would change for the better if the agencies that serve these
precious human beings were not so criminally underfunded,
And yet some people still insist that CA HSR is "needed" -- all the
while ignoring the human needs that are far more important that daily
go unfilled -- and all because our corrupt and uncaring politicians
insist on spending limited state funds on a very expensive train for
which there will be no reliable source of electricity for propulsion.
Or have you forgotten to look on your electric bill for the "Rolling
Power Outage" code? Have you forgotten that we here in California
are in the worst drought on record (since 1850), and that it may not
end for a very long time! IF CHSRA expects to run on hydro power,
I have news for them: the state's reservoirs are all low, and some are
so low that they simply cannot generate electricity at the previously
usual rate. Just where does the CAHSRA expect to get the electricity
to run these high-speed trains? Or are we peasants suppose to endure
brown-outs and black-outs -- just so some very rich people can ride
their fancy new high-speed trains?
You brought up the subject of HSR, and I felt it was appropriate to
comment on it.
I hope that SOME of the most dangerous highway-rail grade crossings
will be grade-separated soon.
Margaret
Thanks so much for those very interesting facts.
Few people seem to realize how huge the costs
are for major infrastructure changes and improvements.
As you pointed out, the costs for just grade-
separating that one Metrolink line alone are simply
staggering.
About running HSR down the middle of a freeway:
Not practical unless and until ways can be found to
keep ALL freeway-accident debris -- and vehicles! --
completely off the right of way. BART has continual
problems on the Pleasanton line from this very problem --
accident debris gets onto BART's ROW.
Having said that, I still have to say that it is a real shame
that our top California government officials are hell-bent to
keep wasting more and more of our very very scarce state
funds on this ridiculously over-priced and completely
unnecessary train -- when we desperately need much better
public transit of all sorts, especially rail transit -- because rail
transit often runs in dedicated private RoW and thus does not
get stuck in highway traffic jams. And this does not even begin
to address the incredibly shabby way most poor and disabled
California residents have been treated by state government.
This would change for the better if the agencies that serve these
precious human beings were not so criminally underfunded,
And yet some people still insist that CA HSR is "needed" -- all the
while ignoring the human needs that are far more important that daily
go unfilled -- and all because our corrupt and uncaring politicians
insist on spending limited state funds on a very expensive train for
which there will be no reliable source of electricity for propulsion.
Or have you forgotten to look on your electric bill for the "Rolling
Power Outage" code? Have you forgotten that we here in California
are in the worst drought on record (since 1850), and that it may not
end for a very long time! IF CHSRA expects to run on hydro power,
I have news for them: the state's reservoirs are all low, and some are
so low that they simply cannot generate electricity at the previously
usual rate. Just where does the CAHSRA expect to get the electricity
to run these high-speed trains? Or are we peasants suppose to endure
brown-outs and black-outs -- just so some very rich people can ride
their fancy new high-speed trains?
You brought up the subject of HSR, and I felt it was appropriate to
comment on it.
I hope that SOME of the most dangerous highway-rail grade crossings
will be grade-separated soon.
Margaret
