california dreamin'

[bikkuri bahn]

Headline from a Fox news site:

Neel Kashkari: Calif. High-Speed Train is 'unnecessary, 70's technology'*

 

This same candidate for the CA governorship is also staging a "smash the crazy train" event in Burbank where people will smash a model rr HSR trainset and get a $25 voucher for gas.  What can you say, it's the US of A!! We're No. 1!!

 

*well, I guess it's an improvement on the old chestnut, "trains are 19th century technology"...

[railsquid]

Maybe he means the 1870s?

 

I don't know about the situation in California, but personally I don't think pure high speed rail is automatically a good thing. It certainly makes sense for Japan, but I hear from Europe that fewer, more expensive high-speed lines are supplanting older, slower and cheaper routes, which makes rail travel less attractive for some people. Mind you I don't suppose California has much of a passenger rail structure in the first place so anything's an improvement.

[bikkuri bahn]

Of course, HSR is not automatically a good thing- like any transportation service venture, a potential HSR route should be examined on its traffic potential and cost performance. Unfortunately in the U.S., with its black or white, "either you're for us or against us" culture, extreme views are the ones that get airplay- either "trains are old tech and nobody rides them" (on the right), or "we need HSR with plenty of bicycle storage crisscrossing our nation, HSR to North Dakota!!" (on the left).

[disturbman]

I am more disgusted by the fact that, in a society in which so many have problems to make ends meet, he is basically proposing to waste money. Hopefully, he has no chance to get elected and Brown will see the CAHSR through, showing 'Merica that there is an alternative to cars and planes.

That said, I wonder what kind of model toys he is planing to give people to smash; Plarail, Bachmann, Kato, Tomix, Fleischmann?

[ozman2009]

My comment is that a cynic could make almost endless mileage out of the fact that the candidate is offering train smashers a $25 petrol voucher. "Where is he getting the money, hmm?", they'd ask.

[kvp]

 

That said, I wonder what kind of model toys he is planing to give people to smash; Plarail, Bachmann, Kato, Tomix, Fleischmann?

We'll see, but the email ad has a Southern Pacific EMD streamliner on it, but he might aim for something cheap the oil company who sponsors him could get. Other than that the correct color for the California trains would be a Dr Yellow or a La Poste TGV. Or maybe they just set up something rubber or inflatable that can be whacked by every car owner who shows up for the free gas. It would be interesting to see railfans showing up and speaking about the benefits of HSR for the people who stand in line.

[marknewton]

According to Kashkari's campaign propaganda ad, he's endorsed by Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney. That tells you everything you need to know about him.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Davo Dentetsu]

Who is this Cash 'n' Carry guy, and why does he promote violence against vehicles of a pointy nature?  Sounds like a right little bleeder to me. :/

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Well, they broke ground for the first 29 miles. http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/01/06/california-high-speed-rail-bullet-train-los-angeles-san-francisco-orig-cfb.cnn

 

I can finally ride a TGV without leaving the States.

[ozman2009]

Let us all hope that they actually end up running trains over the whole length.

[katoftw]

Only 771 miles to go.

[cteno4]

sigh... its such a mess... 

 

jeff

[Davo Dentetsu]

sigh... its such a mess... 

 

jeff

I guess it would be if the ground is broken. ;)

[cteno4]

I wish... The project has been monkey wrenched in so many ways and greed has over ridden sanity and public interest.

 

Jeff

[Mudkip Orange]

greed has over ridden sanity and public interest.

 

I take it you're an Altamont guy and not a Pacheco guy?

[cteno4]

That and hearing a lot of backside information on how decisions are being made. Very big money pushing the buttons. Makes me feel that what may result will be a horrid Frankenstein...

 

Jeff

[kvp]

It's called design by commitee. This is a good way to get all the bad ideas included with very little of the good ones. I think that for the california high speed rail network a two step approach would be viable. Build a cheap ground level network first, then grade separate the parts when and where there is a need for it. This is what happens with most of the conventional lines in Japan. Also the network must include a commuter option (local trains) which guarantees good track usage and profitable operation. For route planning, i would say look at the commuter patterns and build where there is a greater need for trains and then add high speed limited express trains between larger city stations. If the network is built with enough reserve capacity, then it would be possible to keep upgrading it.

 

ps: The demo animation has grade separated freight, commuter and high speed trains running on the same network, but on separate lines. I think the basic concept is good, but grade separation is not really a must. Just look at some of the tgv, ice and mini shinkansen lines, where you do find grade crossings in low traffic areas. Building the California high speed network to mini shinkansen standards (with US loading gauge trains) would be much cheaper and way faster. Afaik parts of the San Francisco segment will be built just like this (by upgrading current infrastructure) and it seems like a viable option for some of the currently unfinanced segments.

[cteno4]

Its not so much the design by committee its design by folks behind the scenes looking to get huge payouts, its very dirty and very big bucks... More insidious than the usual public design by committee where too many things are thrown in the pot.

 

jeff