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Re: CHSRA may operate over "conventional" Metrolink trackage Palmdale to LA
Author: mook
Date: 03-21-2011 - 12:28
1) IIRC the HSR route through Tejon was largely EAST of I-5, in the area where TR wants to build its city. So a nature preserve west of I-5 would have no real impact. Besides, it was nearly all tunnel (and a fairly steep grade) except for a short stretch near Gorman where it crossed the SA Fault.
2) The Tehachapi-Palmdale route, despite a 7-mile tunnel and lots of structures, does NOT have the same construction problems as Tejon. The Tehachapi tunnel is much closer to the surface in an area where the geologic structures are somewhat better known than they are Really Deep within the Tehachapi Mountains (for the Tejon route's tunnels), and is much shorter. Also, though probably too steep for general freight service it would be usable for lighter conventional trains (Amtrak and possibly some intermodal) in the event of HSR going belly-up - the Tejon tunnels would be too long and steep for that to even be considered.
3) While always derided here as political pork (which it is), having a Palmdale station provides some prospect of premium-commuter traffic (30-45 min express to downtown instead of 2 hours on an all-stops commuter train) and metro-area access to support the perennial Palmdale Airport expansion dream. it would also provide a transfer point if the Vegas connection via Palmdale and Victorville is ever done (there are some plans...).
4) And finally, jumping back to the original post here, the Palmdale route allows maximum use of Metrolink's tracks as at least interim access into LA. Wouldn't have to be diesel - hanging wires isn't impossible with HSR running electric and Metrolink continuing with diesels (cf. MARC on the NEC) in the short term (the air quality folk would probably make Metrolink go electric or dual-power if wires are available, eventually). Might require a bit of track upgrade (grade seps and some extra sidings or main track in spots), but again not impossible and a lot less expensive than building a new freeway or its equivalent thru an urban area and the Santa Monica Mountains. So it might have to slow down to 70-90 from Palmdale to LA ... probably more realistic anyway. If you did Tejon Tunnels a similar connection could be done near Santa Clarita (air pollution from brake smoke coming off the big hill and slowing to Metrolink speeds?).
Actually, I'm kind of glad they're finally looking at realistic options for getting started. Even the much-abused notion of starting with Borden-Corcoran has appeal given the fact that it gets thru Fresno (the biggest urban area in the Valley) and in the worst case (HSR dies before it can be used as such) could be resold as the Move-BNSF project that Fresno's been trying to do for 1/2 century. HSR's been too much of a pie-in-the-sky/thought experiment so far. It's time to make it a real railroad.
2) The Tehachapi-Palmdale route, despite a 7-mile tunnel and lots of structures, does NOT have the same construction problems as Tejon. The Tehachapi tunnel is much closer to the surface in an area where the geologic structures are somewhat better known than they are Really Deep within the Tehachapi Mountains (for the Tejon route's tunnels), and is much shorter. Also, though probably too steep for general freight service it would be usable for lighter conventional trains (Amtrak and possibly some intermodal) in the event of HSR going belly-up - the Tejon tunnels would be too long and steep for that to even be considered.
3) While always derided here as political pork (which it is), having a Palmdale station provides some prospect of premium-commuter traffic (30-45 min express to downtown instead of 2 hours on an all-stops commuter train) and metro-area access to support the perennial Palmdale Airport expansion dream. it would also provide a transfer point if the Vegas connection via Palmdale and Victorville is ever done (there are some plans...).
4) And finally, jumping back to the original post here, the Palmdale route allows maximum use of Metrolink's tracks as at least interim access into LA. Wouldn't have to be diesel - hanging wires isn't impossible with HSR running electric and Metrolink continuing with diesels (cf. MARC on the NEC) in the short term (the air quality folk would probably make Metrolink go electric or dual-power if wires are available, eventually). Might require a bit of track upgrade (grade seps and some extra sidings or main track in spots), but again not impossible and a lot less expensive than building a new freeway or its equivalent thru an urban area and the Santa Monica Mountains. So it might have to slow down to 70-90 from Palmdale to LA ... probably more realistic anyway. If you did Tejon Tunnels a similar connection could be done near Santa Clarita (air pollution from brake smoke coming off the big hill and slowing to Metrolink speeds?).
Actually, I'm kind of glad they're finally looking at realistic options for getting started. Even the much-abused notion of starting with Borden-Corcoran has appeal given the fact that it gets thru Fresno (the biggest urban area in the Valley) and in the worst case (HSR dies before it can be used as such) could be resold as the Move-BNSF project that Fresno's been trying to do for 1/2 century. HSR's been too much of a pie-in-the-sky/thought experiment so far. It's time to make it a real railroad.
