'tis about what I expected from people who have no vision. Not to say that the current HSR project is necessarily a good one in all respects - it has its issues, and lack of any prospect of enough funding to get over or through the mountains (at both ends of the SJValley line) with anything, high speed or otherwise, is one of them - but in principle if you throw enough billion$ at it you can make it work. Frankly, the last 50-75 miles at each end of the line (north of Gilroy, south of the San Gabriel Mountains) will likely end up costing more than the rest of the system, including the mountain segments, even with some commuter-line sharing.

Mark My Words: Hyperloop has the same problem. It's simply what happens with any Big Project (and many Not So Big) these days. If it inconveniences or is even detectable (let alone actually harms) anybody anywhere, You.Can't.Do.It. See: recent issues regarding a minor Metrolink project, and for that matter the Texas HSR line that's turning into a similar debacle with pass-through towns throwing up every obstacle and whine in the book.