SFist: California Bullet Train -- 'Steel Wheels' Only From Here To Disneyland?

Jamison

Wed, 30 May 2007 21:56:49 -0800

Doesn't maglev sound like a great idea? Built a non-standard railway system used nowhere else in the country and little used elsewhere in the world. This way you guaranty it cannot be connected to any other nearby trackways, the entire system will need to be grade separated and best of all, the specialized components will not be readily available on the market making them more expensive or need to be specially made. Have they heard of BART?

Robert

Wed, 30 May 2007 00:25:47 -0800

Steve is correct; the CHSRA plan has *always* included SD and Sacramento. I do believe that they should create a more clear and firm plan of when the additional phases to those destinations will be included - but it is worth noting that the 2002 legislation that adopted that CHSRA plan and scheduled a vote on the bonds mandated that the first route to open be one that links SF to LA. I have no freaking clue what SCAG and SANDAG are thinking with their interest in maglev. It makes no sense whatsoever. They need to get on board with "steel wheels" and help bring the CHSRA plan to fruition.

DG

Tue, 29 May 2007 12:39:35 -0800

To piggy back on Steve's comment, high-speed rail would be a major benefit for the state. With the way funding is, the all-or-nothing approach Jeremy is taking is short-sighted. Making San Diego and Sacramento wait a few extra years in order to ensure that the project moves forward is a small sacrifice. They'll get added eventually, but to wait for funding for the entire length of the rail line may mean it'll never get done.

Steve Boland

Tue, 29 May 2007 10:48:12 -0800

San Diego and Sacramento are included in the CAHSR plan. All they're talking about--all they've been talking about for years--is phased construction.

KWillets

Tue, 29 May 2007 10:33:07 -0800

MagLev sounds silly to me. The TGV trains can run on conventional rail, so they don't need high speed track for the whole distance. We took a ride on the Korean KTX (same as TGV) a few weeks ago, and it runs on shared track through Seoul and South of Taegu. They're running the length of the country with high speed track only in the middle section. One curious fact I noticed is that Caltrain is already rated to run at almost half the speed of the KTX (89 mph vs. 300 kph, or 186 mph).

CRS

Tue, 29 May 2007 10:00:58 -0800

And here I thought ABAG* sounded bad, but here we have SCAG**. One is as descriptive as the other... *Assn of Bay Area Governments **Southern California Association of Governments