Why did they build the train from nowhere to nowhere?
Simple: Land speculation! That is the main reason that
Diridon, etc., do these things: they get filthy rich speculating
in land values. The land developers make tons of money, too,
and go away satisfied. The fact that they helped create a
service that does not serve people doesn't matter one bit to them.
These specuators and developers don't care.

And as far as public meetings about public projects are concerned,
these are always scheduled when it is most convenient for the
managers and staff of various agencies to attend, not when it is
most convenient for the public to attend. The managers don't really
want public input, and only hold public hearings and meetings to
satisfy various laws. They seem to usually have their minds made up
well before the meetings start, and very little the public says can change
anything. This is not cynicism, just reality.

None of this is a conspiracy, just "business as usual".
Some of this business-people may sometimes break some very important laws,
but because of the huge amount of power these mega-rich people wield,
they are very unlikely to be punished for their wrongdoings.

Ahhh....poor ol' San Jose -- part of a land where it is now
"of the mega-rich, by the mega-rich, and for the mega-rich", where
land speculation causes poverty and cyclic recessions/depressions.