High Speed Rail is obviously easier said than done.
Looking back at the Altamont Pass alternative...It might seem cheaper and easier to build in theory than the route with the 13 mile tunnel but it probably would have ended up being way more expensive than original estimates.
If the tunnel route is abandoned any other alternative with shorter tunnels and other portions at grade or on a viaduct would attract its on set of critics and opponents that would tie it up with new environmental studies, right of way purchase and court challenges for many years to come
I support the concept of high speed rail between SF and LA but I'm beginning, to think it's just too expensive to get the job done right.
If Interstate 80 or the UP lines over the Sierra and thru the Feather River Canyon were being proposed today they would probably be too expensive and face serious opposition from environmental groups.