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Re: LA-Calexico? LA-PHX? And, other rail passenger "priorities"?
Author: BOB2
Date: 04-06-2021 - 03:15
I once missed a chance to go on a railfan trip the "passenger" "turn: to Niland (Golden State???), when the ICC allowed SP to discontinue one of SP's passenger trains, but the CA Public Utilities Commission made them keep the intrastrate services, which IIRC ran for a few more months, back in the 60's.... So, we have
Having worked with some of my colleagues on border transportation issues down in Imperial County, this is one (pipe...?) dream "on the list" of some of those folks... There are arguments that this might make more sense, as the demographics and destination sets have changed. It would be costly... If, the much more viable rail passenger services from the Coachella Valley to the IE and LAUS ever become "real", then it might be worth a closer look at the costs and benefits of such an extension to the Imperial County/Mexicali "metro" areas....
PHX would take at least 8 hours from LA, under former SP/Amtrak schedules.
My first priority to looking at real passenger rail system transportation "needs", on corridors with substantial demonstrated travel demand (auto and existing rail), and with traffic congestion/capacity relief. So the Imperial Valley, and heresy of heresies even PHX, is probably not at the top of my "policiy" or "project" lists...
I have criticized these kind of train fan "fantasy" maps and "promises", like the one the Secretary of Transportation felt compelled to tweet out, because this kind of nonsense ignorantly panders to unrealistic expectations. I just saw another equally ludicrous "high speed" map on a paid Facebook ad, pandering to the ignorant, with things like high speed rail lines to South Texas.....
We need to prioritize well planned rail passenger projects, with good public benefits, that can be delivered in a timely manner, at realistic and predictable costs, which the public can actually use for real travel "needs". A program that does that, which prioritizes based on those factors, will naturally tend to fund "needed" rail passenger projects like the Del Mar bluffs bypass, LAUS run through, the ACE connection via Altamont to the Valley (so taxpayers can see viable services which can connect to the "runaway money trains" stranded investment from Chowchilla to Wasco), over some of the embrrassing fiasco's like we have experienced with the CAHSRA.
Having worked with some of my colleagues on border transportation issues down in Imperial County, this is one (pipe...?) dream "on the list" of some of those folks... There are arguments that this might make more sense, as the demographics and destination sets have changed. It would be costly... If, the much more viable rail passenger services from the Coachella Valley to the IE and LAUS ever become "real", then it might be worth a closer look at the costs and benefits of such an extension to the Imperial County/Mexicali "metro" areas....
PHX would take at least 8 hours from LA, under former SP/Amtrak schedules.
My first priority to looking at real passenger rail system transportation "needs", on corridors with substantial demonstrated travel demand (auto and existing rail), and with traffic congestion/capacity relief. So the Imperial Valley, and heresy of heresies even PHX, is probably not at the top of my "policiy" or "project" lists...
I have criticized these kind of train fan "fantasy" maps and "promises", like the one the Secretary of Transportation felt compelled to tweet out, because this kind of nonsense ignorantly panders to unrealistic expectations. I just saw another equally ludicrous "high speed" map on a paid Facebook ad, pandering to the ignorant, with things like high speed rail lines to South Texas.....
We need to prioritize well planned rail passenger projects, with good public benefits, that can be delivered in a timely manner, at realistic and predictable costs, which the public can actually use for real travel "needs". A program that does that, which prioritizes based on those factors, will naturally tend to fund "needed" rail passenger projects like the Del Mar bluffs bypass, LAUS run through, the ACE connection via Altamont to the Valley (so taxpayers can see viable services which can connect to the "runaway money trains" stranded investment from Chowchilla to Wasco), over some of the embrrassing fiasco's like we have experienced with the CAHSRA.
