Wish there was an "edit" function here--I meant to expand upon the following sentence:

The "bullet train" would make limited intermediate stops, as well. A CA-99 alignment is more likely than an I-5 alignment, which would take the train through Merced, Fresno, and Bakersfield. These would likely be the only stops. Slower local trains might also use the same trackage and make other intermediate stops (similar to the French and German systems), but the "bullet train" itself would limit stops to major metropolitan areas.