And, so what are we going to do with the segments of the HSR "white elephant", in Fresno, once that funding dries up? Wow, first additional service since 1993, and they're sold out, and traffic congestion is about 3 times worse....? After all, it's only been 23 years.....since the last service was added?????????

I am meeting with someone on the issues of public private partnerships and franchises for road, as the legislature considers a new transportation bill. We have a number of opportunities to vastly improve the quality and quantity of "trains and Lanes" if we more effectively used the scarce public rail resources we are squandering on HSR.

We also should look at things "leaseback" agreements for accelerating private investment in things like the Union Station run through project, where up front private capital can be generated to build the improvement immediately, with a leaseback to LOSSAN and MTA paid for with operating time savings (dollar per hour) generated by the project to guarantee bonds, or private equity returns.

It is not a lack of opportunities that prevents more private sector investment, like with a tunnel from 118 to 14, shared with an auto toll road, and lower level HSR/LOSSAN/ML cutoff to Palmdale, making for an under one hour rail travel time.... It is a lack of imagination, and the kind of policies necessary to allow for win-win franchise agreements, that reward investors, but are fair and provide real and significant benefits to the public, for those franchise rights.