There are a great many things about the high speed plan that are not very choices. For instance, the insistance on a grandios end to end all new r.o.w., rather than an incremental plan. They should reserve new r.o.w. to where it is really needed - over the Tehachapies.

Just construction of a high speed passenger line from LA directly to bakersfield via the Grape Vine route would be an enormous improvement - allowing immediate extension of the San Juaquins at 110mph to LA. At about 6-7 hours Oak to LA, it would immediately be very competitive. That would really lite a fire under the high Speed Rail Effort, because it would then be real. Everyone would then be able see the value in it. It would become politically irresistable.

Of course, double/tripple tracking, grade crossing elimination, and signal system upgrades on the rest of the line to the Bay Area and Sacramento would soon follow, allowing statewide 150mph service within 10 years!

Whereas now it is just pie in the sky theory without substance, that no-one can relate to. Not to mention the 30+ years we will have to wait. Given world politics and the unfavorable economics of reliance on the automobile, we wait that long at our own peril.

Yeah, I know! Its not 250mph trains and it ignors the big egos of all the infighting civic leaders in the north. That's probably the best reason it will work!

Ah, but the monkeys have their hands in the cookie jar and won't let go without all the cookies! They (we) will of course get nothing but trapped monkeys! And these planners are college educated too - go figure.

OPB