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Re: anti high speed rail campaign begins
Author: OldPoleBurner
Date: 07-25-2008 - 23:33
So the Cattle Car Airline thinks it isn't already getting a big subsidy? What about all those airports built mostly with property and sales taxes or with proceeds from publicly owned port authorities; not to mention the billions per year to operate the FAA system; or the 10 billion per year the Bush Administration gave directly to the airlines. So where are the $25 fares? Bet on it - We won't see them until we have an alternative (HSR comes to mind)!
Someone's mention of Quentin Kopp explains it all. He is the one who screwed up the BART SF Airport extension; forcing BART, CalTrain, and the Airport to spend an extra hundred million to get BART into the International Terminal - instead of to a "Union Station" at the side of the airport where all could transfer directly to all.
The orignal plan had the airport expanding across the freeway to this Joint CalTrain - BART "Airport Station", with high rise long term airport parking, car rental facilities, and such at its side. The Airport "People Mover" would have looped directly thru this station, new and old parking, other facilities, and thru all the various airport terminals.
Then it turns out that Mr Kopp just couldn't see it - So now, after one of Mr Kopp's tantrums and about a hundred million dollars later, most of us still need to transfer to the people mover to get to the most used terminals from BART. CalTrain riders must still transfer twice! $100,000,000 and BART still doesn't go near the terminals where most of the passenger want to go - $100,000,000 for nothing! One could rationally fear a rerun - but this time it will be $10,000,000,000 for nothing!
Not that HSR isn't a good idea, It's just that the fixed rigid bias for ultra high speed SF to LA non-stop service (hand in the cookie jar) just doesn't match reality - serves a only a very small segment of Californians, and ignores more immediate needs and opportunities.
Instead: the first segment must be direct and straight as possible over the Mountain from Bakersfield to Burbank. Use 30 mile tunnels and steep grades if you must (no biggie to a well powered passenger train) - just keep it as straight (extremely broad curves) as possible, electrifying it as you go. Then electrify existing track from Burbank to LAUPT. Now extend existing Amtrak services to LAUPT from Bakersfield at 110 mph (the fastest existing superliners can go). Newer faster equipment can come later.
With 6 to 7 hour runtimes, just this alone will provide a staggering improvement to California public transportation optionsl - way beyond anything ever seen before.
Phase 2 of this plan would involve massive capacity expansion of the entire "San Joaquin Corridor to Oakland and Sacramento, including a general speed upgrade to 110mph (build in potential for more). Add additional local services to compliment express services, and most of the state which now lacks fast service would have it. All this is can be done with technology already in use in the United States. No fancy schmancy needed - and for a lot less than 10 billion!
Service to San Diego is already fast (90mph) and excellent. Phase 3 would upgrade all the Surf line to at least 110mph standards and double track it all (triple track here and there) - even if we must use the NYMBYs of San Quan and San Clemente as crossties!
After, and only after, this baseline fast system is successfully in place, as it was in Europe before the TGV and ICE; would there be any point in trying a TGV here. I say TGV because, even though it's French, its technology is eminently superior (and much safer too) to the ICE or even the Shinkansen.
Oh my! did I go off on a day dream - Wow - must of been! But I've never even smoked a pipe!
Naturally, the optimist in me forgot Quentin Kopp was in charge - and that much of his staff came from or still is affiliated with the moronic (when it comes to rail) California Dept. of Transportation (CalTrans) and numerous political hacks from around the Bay Area - mostly "The Peninsula". From some of their posted documentation, it seems many of them think they can just randomly plunk the track down just "wherever" - California is their plywood Lionel train table! The rest pander to the political.
None actually study reality or study to find the truly best way - regardless of politics or originally narrow views.
"Where there is no vision - the people suffer"
OPB
Someone's mention of Quentin Kopp explains it all. He is the one who screwed up the BART SF Airport extension; forcing BART, CalTrain, and the Airport to spend an extra hundred million to get BART into the International Terminal - instead of to a "Union Station" at the side of the airport where all could transfer directly to all.
The orignal plan had the airport expanding across the freeway to this Joint CalTrain - BART "Airport Station", with high rise long term airport parking, car rental facilities, and such at its side. The Airport "People Mover" would have looped directly thru this station, new and old parking, other facilities, and thru all the various airport terminals.
Then it turns out that Mr Kopp just couldn't see it - So now, after one of Mr Kopp's tantrums and about a hundred million dollars later, most of us still need to transfer to the people mover to get to the most used terminals from BART. CalTrain riders must still transfer twice! $100,000,000 and BART still doesn't go near the terminals where most of the passenger want to go - $100,000,000 for nothing! One could rationally fear a rerun - but this time it will be $10,000,000,000 for nothing!
Not that HSR isn't a good idea, It's just that the fixed rigid bias for ultra high speed SF to LA non-stop service (hand in the cookie jar) just doesn't match reality - serves a only a very small segment of Californians, and ignores more immediate needs and opportunities.
Instead: the first segment must be direct and straight as possible over the Mountain from Bakersfield to Burbank. Use 30 mile tunnels and steep grades if you must (no biggie to a well powered passenger train) - just keep it as straight (extremely broad curves) as possible, electrifying it as you go. Then electrify existing track from Burbank to LAUPT. Now extend existing Amtrak services to LAUPT from Bakersfield at 110 mph (the fastest existing superliners can go). Newer faster equipment can come later.
With 6 to 7 hour runtimes, just this alone will provide a staggering improvement to California public transportation optionsl - way beyond anything ever seen before.
Phase 2 of this plan would involve massive capacity expansion of the entire "San Joaquin Corridor to Oakland and Sacramento, including a general speed upgrade to 110mph (build in potential for more). Add additional local services to compliment express services, and most of the state which now lacks fast service would have it. All this is can be done with technology already in use in the United States. No fancy schmancy needed - and for a lot less than 10 billion!
Service to San Diego is already fast (90mph) and excellent. Phase 3 would upgrade all the Surf line to at least 110mph standards and double track it all (triple track here and there) - even if we must use the NYMBYs of San Quan and San Clemente as crossties!
After, and only after, this baseline fast system is successfully in place, as it was in Europe before the TGV and ICE; would there be any point in trying a TGV here. I say TGV because, even though it's French, its technology is eminently superior (and much safer too) to the ICE or even the Shinkansen.
Oh my! did I go off on a day dream - Wow - must of been! But I've never even smoked a pipe!
Naturally, the optimist in me forgot Quentin Kopp was in charge - and that much of his staff came from or still is affiliated with the moronic (when it comes to rail) California Dept. of Transportation (CalTrans) and numerous political hacks from around the Bay Area - mostly "The Peninsula". From some of their posted documentation, it seems many of them think they can just randomly plunk the track down just "wherever" - California is their plywood Lionel train table! The rest pander to the political.
None actually study reality or study to find the truly best way - regardless of politics or originally narrow views.
"Where there is no vision - the people suffer"
OPB
