You guys just don't (want to?) understand. HSR has similar noise and other nuisance impacts as a new, large freeway, though in a slightly narrower right of way. The only thing missing, at least in operation, is large amounts of diesel exhaust. To actually achieve a high speed, it can't have a lot of stops. Therefore, it has BANANA or NOPE status (not just NIMBY, which implies that there's actually someplace to put it where nobody is even slightly inconvenienced). Doing the direct (Pacheco) route into the Bay Area has advantages regarding speed, and minimizes (though doesn't eliminate) impacts on urban areas at least up to near San Jose. A line via Altamont would have to be underground from south of Tracy to its terminal. Bottom line: there is no politically and socially acceptable way to get HSR from the boonies into the terminals it needs to arrive at. Accept that, and start looking for the extra billion$$ needed to mitigate it which means, in most places, put it underground.

There are going to be places where HSR has impacts, some of which cannot be avoided or fully mitigated. The modern planning, public involvement, and political process is blind to that.