 |
Re: Great Shot - Gov't Money Can Work, If....
Author: OldPoleBurner
Date: 09-15-2011 - 12:26
Looks like conditions were pretty darn good that day! Great shot
I'm not that familiar with the area today. But the spot you are standing on looks to be just a bit west of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, on the Oakdale ave overpass if I recall correctly. Quint St. goes under the tracks just the other side of the signals.
But for good reason, I never hung out there much to get any pictures, although it would've been a great spot then too, for the SP commutes especially. I spent a lot of time at the shipyard while in the Navy (Vietnam era). We used to turn east off of 3rd st. at Evans St (2-3 blocks up), to get to the the Shipyard; or a block south at Palou Ave. But in those days if you went via Palou, you took your life in your hands. Better not stop for nothing! Even the Marines at the south gate would get shot at regularly. I'm not sure the "Bayview - Hunters Point" area is any safer now. But I hope so - enough to be able to hang around to get such a great shot - anyhow.
And yes, $2.9 million does seem like a lot to upgrade a mere mile of low speed track to class 2. It's almost like they were putting in all new track and grading or something - probably are; but even then, $2,9 million would be a lot.
On the other hand, just think. If this gov't agency in San Francisco could manage with ONLY $2.9 mil per mile for a single track; SMART certainly should be able to upgrade most of their 45 miles to class 4 or 5 for about the same (the class difference mostly being just more ballast and ties per mile). Even UP manages to do that routinely - including the signaling.
So at $3 mil per mile, that's $135 mil for the whole line, well within the budget. Then all they need do, is to lease a few used diesels and a dozen or so used cars, and they are in business. They should be able to sell that much of their bond issue, one would think. They can then pretty it up later when more money is available, after people actually are riding it, making mute all the silly political opposition.
It's not like it hasn't been done recently with these numbers by a public agency; Salt Lake City's 42 mile Front Runner line to Ogden being a fine example; or it's 45 mile line to Provo slated to open next year. Note also, that Northern Utah's population density isn't any higher than is that of the North Bay Area. And yet, the Front Runner operates over 40 trains a day each way on single track, with semi-automatic train control (PTS rated), and CTC of course.
If it's doable there, its doable anywhere - just keep the @#$%^#& politicians the hell out of it and make sound business-like decisions while your at it - and it'll go; even if it needs a subsidy to operate! And if the voters in an ultra-conservative place like that, are willing to tax themselves to subsidize it (and they were by wide margins); then where's the beef here!
Us Californians have utterly no excuse for the cluster %$&@s we keep allowing here!
OPB
I'm not that familiar with the area today. But the spot you are standing on looks to be just a bit west of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, on the Oakdale ave overpass if I recall correctly. Quint St. goes under the tracks just the other side of the signals.
But for good reason, I never hung out there much to get any pictures, although it would've been a great spot then too, for the SP commutes especially. I spent a lot of time at the shipyard while in the Navy (Vietnam era). We used to turn east off of 3rd st. at Evans St (2-3 blocks up), to get to the the Shipyard; or a block south at Palou Ave. But in those days if you went via Palou, you took your life in your hands. Better not stop for nothing! Even the Marines at the south gate would get shot at regularly. I'm not sure the "Bayview - Hunters Point" area is any safer now. But I hope so - enough to be able to hang around to get such a great shot - anyhow.
And yes, $2.9 million does seem like a lot to upgrade a mere mile of low speed track to class 2. It's almost like they were putting in all new track and grading or something - probably are; but even then, $2,9 million would be a lot.
On the other hand, just think. If this gov't agency in San Francisco could manage with ONLY $2.9 mil per mile for a single track; SMART certainly should be able to upgrade most of their 45 miles to class 4 or 5 for about the same (the class difference mostly being just more ballast and ties per mile). Even UP manages to do that routinely - including the signaling.
So at $3 mil per mile, that's $135 mil for the whole line, well within the budget. Then all they need do, is to lease a few used diesels and a dozen or so used cars, and they are in business. They should be able to sell that much of their bond issue, one would think. They can then pretty it up later when more money is available, after people actually are riding it, making mute all the silly political opposition.
It's not like it hasn't been done recently with these numbers by a public agency; Salt Lake City's 42 mile Front Runner line to Ogden being a fine example; or it's 45 mile line to Provo slated to open next year. Note also, that Northern Utah's population density isn't any higher than is that of the North Bay Area. And yet, the Front Runner operates over 40 trains a day each way on single track, with semi-automatic train control (PTS rated), and CTC of course.
If it's doable there, its doable anywhere - just keep the @#$%^#& politicians the hell out of it and make sound business-like decisions while your at it - and it'll go; even if it needs a subsidy to operate! And if the voters in an ultra-conservative place like that, are willing to tax themselves to subsidize it (and they were by wide margins); then where's the beef here!
Us Californians have utterly no excuse for the cluster %$&@s we keep allowing here!
OPB
