The Notice of Intent to use Caltrans ROW for the Desert Express has been filed and has taken comments as of October 1 of this year.

This private sector funded HSR project is far more "shovel ready" and real than the still largely dysfunctional CHSRA at this stage. These folks are prepared to go to Victorville for now. But it is known this project has been interested in directly connecting to LA-but probably via the High Desert Corridor Toll Road route via Palmdale.

It is noteworthy that the DX HSR folks are looking at a more economical true HSR-180 mph design and cruising speeds that most European systems are using, with very competitive travel times, but not using the extremely costly and potentially budget busting 225 mph operating and design speeds that CHSRA is pushing. This difference in costs makes DX financially a much more doable.

Another reason for this more cost effective approach is that DX's business plan is much more clearly aimed at the large number of beleaguered users of I-15, with hours of congestion and inconenience, with which DX's price and schedule will be very competitive, as well as a market for those of us who have grown to hate the hassle of flying, especially in short haul markets.

The CHSRA's costly and questionable design is predicated on an equally questionable business plan, with assumptions that were driven by and based on the dubious assumption that it has to be competitive directly with the LAX-SFO air travel speed, which was written into a legislative mandate, without and any research or analysis of that rationale.

While it can really suck to drive the 5 or 99 too, like on a Friday between Fresno and Sac, or Oakland and Merced, and there are a lot more potential train users, serving this market apparently wouldn't be able to justify CHSRA's artificially bloated and costly design?

One project, DX, looks at realistic markets and realistic costs, which will attract more passengers buying cheaper tickets, for a very fast and convenient service, and it attracts private funding.

The other publicly funded project, CHSRA, is driven by an arbitrary and extremely costly policy driven performance requirement, based on no previously documented rationale for serving any real travel markets(and/or creating any real public benefits?), and it is attracting attention as a potential boondoggle.

Go figure that one out?

Don't get me wrong, I do support HSR and think it could work, and with the DX approach, we might actually see it work.