I was on the conference call that Mehdi and Tony Daniels held on Tuesday on the ARRA applications. The TBT was specifically mentioned as one potential use, depending on how much they got. They are backing off on some things though in the Bay Area, and agreeing to listen, a little, on things like Caltrain integrated operations and PTC. Various big ticket Caltrain/HSR grade separations were specifically mentioned. And, they clearly downsized the things they are asking for what had been the levels of funing identified from the Pre-App lists, which they are now seeming to distance themselves from. The new lists, again without any detail, except tasks and segments, did identify bond funds to be used with the ARRA requests.

CHSRA's two spokesmen appeated to be much more open to integrated operations, claiming all of the segments they requested would be used upon completion, in the interim by existing SJC and LOSSAN services, and mentioned Pacheco EIR "do-over" (taxpayers get to pay twice for incompetence) as one of the funding requests.

It was the Southern California agencies that had a list of questions to which Medhi and Tony didn't have any real answers on this call. Clearly, CHSRA had failed to communicate with any of these folks on the final project submissions, and were left unable to answer questions on any of the specifics for LA-Anaheim, such as the number of grade separations that would be funded on the LA Anaheim request, etc..

At least one Sou Cal local reporter was on the call, who asked some interesting questions. And, another questioner asked about what would happen or how projects would be scaled down, if they failed to recieve over half of all of the ARRA money just for the CHSRA? They gave a frighteningly vague ambiguous comment about spending it where they felt it was best....... that should give FRA confidence???

One questioner asked for additional information. And it is kind of indicative and embarrassing, that Tony gave out his PB e-mail address, since this has been a sole source PB contract management show.

I was told by another source this week, of yet another very high level meeting last Friday concerning personnel and/or management issues at the high speed "money train", and rumors continue to swirl that "regime change" may be pending at CHSRA. We've all heard that there is going to be a shake up in this mismanaged organization for so long now, that it sounds like a broken record, though?