California's High Speed Rail Bill AB3034 was significantly gutted and amended to take out some of the more onerous provisions, and passed out of the Senate yesterday. If the Assembly concurs, which appears likely, this will be Proposition 1A on the November Ballot. This bill which was pretty awful now appears to allow and require greater flexibility to use these initial bond funds for a more incremental approach which requires it to integrate and work with regional and interregional rail operators (Metrolink, ACE, Coaster, Caltrans, Caltrain, Capitol Corridor JPA). It also has provision for independent technical oversight, another big concern in this consultant "slop trough" at the CHSRA.

This gives many of us much more confidence that the polictical fiefdom of Quentin Koppp the incompetent CHSRA Board will not be able waste it. Or, as the previous version would have allowed, all of the money to be used for a few politically connected projects in the Bay Area, with nothing for Southern California (where the other 2/3 of the taxpayers who will have to pay off these bonds live). As currently written the act appears to be useful in improving existing service, installing the first high speed segments, and improving the speed of all service.

SB 53 which would have consolidated rail program in California in a separate Department of Rail unfortunately was killed. This would have disolved the problematic CHSRA and put all State programs dealing with rail under an agency that reported to the Governor and legislature. This bill would have ended political rail fiefoms like Quentin Kopps CHSRA "ship of fools". This legislation is expected to be back in the next session and has increasing support.

As to rail use in California (another line of bull from our "trolls"). California's 2nd, 2rd, and now 4th busiest Amtrak corridors in the nation account for 600,000 monthly trips on a completely inadequate system. To put perspective on this California now carries 60% of the volume of the Northeast Corridor, with far fewer slower trains. Trains are so overcrowded that most Weekday peak trains now routinely have standees. Some Friday and Saturday trains report over 200% of capacity (especially when our great US Marines at Camp Pendleton have weekend passes???)

Similarly most of our regional rail operators like Metrolink are setting record month after record month of ridership, with over 25% of their trains now experiencing standees. Every rail transit setting is setting record month after record month. The Gold Line was up 26% in June.

Last night after a late 9 pm meeting ended comming from mid Wilshire to Pasadena I experieced standing room only on every train (remember the incompetent MTA still only run 2 and 4 car subway trains every twenty minutes, and single car Gold Line trains every 20 minutes at night???), I transferred to a Gold Line train that was standing room only the whole way to Pasadena at 10 pm on a weekday night???? So much for the nonsense that Californians won't/don't use rail service. That's pure troll hogwash!

This site is being regularly trolled by trolls from a vocal minority in Novato and others, some of whom seem to be closet train haters who have no real interest in railroads, some ask really dumb questions that they can look up, and don't like any of the answers they get from the very well informed folks on this site. And, I agree, maybe some of these people do need to go to the above mentioned Craigslist whining page.