Rich and also Carole,

I don't want to hurt anyone's rice bowl, but, so much has been wasted over the previous years on sheer nonsense by CHSRA, with no serious oversight, that it is truly staggering, even to a "consultant".

As Dr. Deming used to ask: What are we doing and why are we doing it? It is an important question that was never really answered, despite the squandering of millions on "planning" by CHSRA, at least until now. I'm still not convinced we've answered it very well, despite this move to a more realistic approach.

The shared or "blended" segments under discussion fall generally within the existing publicly owned tracks and right of way largely within the urbanized areas, or through expanded easements, which would have to be negotiated, also primarily in urbanized areas.

Both railroads can only be at least more willing to talk with the "new" people at CHSRA, who at least are no longer proposing things that were ridiculous and didn't make any sense within these respective easements in the rural areas.

Even from a "consultant" persceptive, this project was always way too long on bull, but way too short on steer, and that's why it got to this messy. This project is off of life support where it was languishing, but it is still in "intensive care", and it is still not at all "well", yet.

Consultants managing consultants, at least the way it has been handled by this organization, has not proven to be an efficient or effective means of managing or planning a cost effective project.

So what is still missing, is an effective or properly staffed administrative and planning process, with sufficient public overisght, with more transparent contracting, with better analsysis and planing, including more serious cost benefit analysis, more value engineering, with good leadership and adequate staffing. This is needed to transform what has been a largely rudderless and dysfunctional public agency into a responsive and responsible organization to actually have the capacity to carry out even this changing and more realistic vision.