This is definitly a red herring, we know how to build these structures within well reasoned "fail safe" tolerances for things like a quake. This entire controversy, and transbay box, and all of the other controvery's have to do with CHSRA's desire to spend billions on a separate system in the same corridor, rather than operate at lower speeds (like the TGV) by adapting to the available system, and being flexible, not to mention interoperable. The plans o

The High Speed hearings are on the web, they are a hoot, total repudiation of the so-called CHSRA business plan by the Legislative Analysts Office, total meltdown by Morshed. They appear to just make wild and inconsistent "promises" to various people, and when they get caught with the inconsistencies, they come up with a new story. And, they think nobody notices?

This local issue, like so many others that the CHSRA seems to have flubbed, is a result of choosing the technology parameters first, and assessing the needs, costs, and tradeoffs "only' to justify that "a priori" very expensive decision. Then the problem is that much of the justification for it doesn't add up to a cost effective or even realistic plan.

The CHSRA money tain was kind of derailed in Sacramento, on Tuesday. This local issue is the least of the problems they have. They have less than two weeks to figure out for what they are doing for the Stimulus funds application in California. The Senators made it clear they would be listening to Caltrans to advise them on the Intercity/High Speed rail priorities, because they clearly have little or no faith in the CHSRA.