What you can get away with all depends on who you are. BART doesn't seem to have any problem erecting ugly, noisy elevated structures throughout its empire. I guess BART can get away with anything so long as it is made out of concrete. If it were made out of steel, so 19th century, it would be considered an eyesore and torn down, as in New York and Chicago. Berserkly was the only East Bay town that had the nerve to stick BART in a hole in the ground.

The highway lobby has had no trouble cutting up every American city with freeways whose footprint far exceeds that of any high speed rail system imaginable. When you own the place you can do whatever you want.