Cost, Price, Speed, Time, Frequency, Trip Attractions, Trip Productions? Some of us actually took real hard classes, but classes none the less, that actually teach you methods to do proper analysis, like this.

The deliberate fraudulent, possibly illegal, and certainly immoral and unethical faking of the ridership number is no surprise to this transportation economist. The only question is can this be fixed? We want, need, and deserve a "first world" high speed and intercity rail passenger system, the problem is that the CHSRA is too incompetent and/or corrupt to deliver it.

This is why folks like both TRAC and RailPAC, who support HSR, are even having problems with the gross mismanagement, poor design, and bloated costs of this project. Both TRAC and RailPAC, I believe, have support positions for the Rail reform bill SB 409, by Senagtor Ducheny, which will put all of these competing, wasteful, and duplicative programs under at least a minimal semblance of adult supervision.

The need to reform the dysfunctional CHSRA is so urgent that in a rare bi-partisan vote the CA Senate passed it unanimously (37-0), last week right after the Federal funding was announced. Yes, you heard that right, every Dem and every Rep voted to reform the "runaway money train". It is now in the Assembly.