117 replies to this topic

[DET63]

The basic motto of most of the yankee troops, particularly those under Sherman seemed to be pillage, rape and burn, and after the war steal whatever was left. Learn the real history, not the victor's propoganda.

Ugh, I know. The North was so inhumane that it lacked any respect for basic human rights.

Unless the HSR is going to be built with slave labor, I don't think we need to rehash the Civil War/War Between the States.

[WhoozOn1st]

California's High Speed Rail Authority board has approved construction of the first route segment, between Borden and Corcoran in the Central Valley. Naturally, a chorus of myopic naysayers has already dubbed this initial leg of a larger, complete system the "train to nowhere" (an allusion to the notorious Alaska bridge project).

Bullet train board OKs 1st segment

"Included in the plan are tracks, station platforms, bridges and viaducts, which would elevate the line through urban areas. The initial section, however, would not be equipped with maintenance facilities, locomotives, passenger cars or an electrical system necessary to power high-speed trains."

And...

"To satisfy federal requirements, the starter route must have 'independent utility.' That is, other passenger railroads must be able to use the track if funding dries up and high-speed trains never come to fruition. The rail authority says Amtrak's well-established San Joaquin service could shift from its conventional track to the high-speed route between Borden and Corcoran in such a case.

"Amtrak trains might be able to go faster on the line, but how much actual benefit the passengers on the San Joaquin service would realize hasn't been determined."

[WhoozOn1st]

The California High-Speed Rail Peer Review group, a 6-member panel said to be composed of transportation, financial, and HSR construction experts, has issued a 20-page assessment warning that major funding, planning, and staffing issues must be addressed for California's HSR plan to succeed.

Warning issued over high-speed rail

Among the findings:

-- The authority's small staff, which is struggling to manage dozens of engineering, management and public relations contractors, is "totally inadequate to oversee a project of this magnitude."

-- The "lack of a clear financial plan is a critical concern," and confusion about possible on-going taxpayer subsidies for the project must be resolved.

-- Fixes are essential to the reliability of ridership and operating revenue forecasts. Criticisms by experts at UC Berkeley and elsewhere "have raised sufficient concerns [about the model] so as to call into question the project's fundamental basis for going forward."

-- The authority must immediately focus on a business model for the project, including the extent to which public and/or private entities will design, build, finance and operate the system.

[George Harris]

Take this report with a large grain of salt. Controversy is the media's life blood.

You particularly gotta love Lowenthal's statements quoted at the end of the article.

While the main issue appears to be that the project is moving too slow, he states, "The project may need to be slowed down"

The even goofier one is that the authority has been in denial. There are people out there that are in dennial, but for the most part they are forming the opposition that denys the need for a major change in the handling of transportation issues in California (and elsewhere.)

[WhoozOn1st]

These three pieces - 2 news stories and an editorial - appeared in the L.A. Times this past week. The first concerns a formal civil rights complaint alleging that the California HSR authority has systematically excluded minority-owned businesses from project contracts. Without passing judgement on the merits, I think it fair to say that this is neither the first nor the last of peripheral issues to drain attention, time, money, and effort from the central goal.

Complaint lodged on rail project

"'This $43-billion undertaking appears to not be for all citizens of California, but for the middle-class and a small group of large established companies,' said Frederick Jordan, president of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce. 'Minority-owned business and small business have been almost totally left out of the planning, engineering and construction of this project.'"


Next are a story and editorial about the redirection to California and other states of federal HSR funds spurned by Wisconsin and Ohio. The editorial borders on gloating.

Rail funds shifted to California

"Rail officials said the additional money could be used to extend the first segment of the line in the Central Valley to Merced or Bakersfield. Last week, the rail board approved construction of an initial 65 miles of track between Corcoran and Borden. The work is expected to begin in 2012."

Their loss, California's gain

"Scott Walker, Republican governor-elect of Wisconsin, fretted that his state's train would cost $7.5 million a year to operate. As train supporters pointed out to the New York Times, this is sort of like turning down a free car because you don't want to have to pay for gasoline and insurance. Not only did Walker and Ohio Gov.-elect John Kasich, also a Republican, ignore the construction jobs the projects would have created, but they ignored the positive impact on their states' economies, freeways and environment that the trains would have brought to future generations."

Edited by WhoozOn1st, 11 December 2010 - 02:38 PM.

[George Harris]

These three pieces - 2 news stories and an editorial - appeared in the L.A. Times this past week. The first concerns a formal civil rights complaint alleging that the California HSR authority has systematically excluded minority-owned businesses from project contracts. Without passing judgement on the merits, I think it fair to say that this is neither the first nor the last of peripheral issues to drain attention, time, money, and effort from the central goal.

Complaint lodged on rail project

"'This $43-billion undertaking appears to not be for all citizens of California, but for the middle-class and a small group of large established companies,' said Frederick Jordan, president of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce. 'Minority-owned business and small business have been almost totally left out of the planning, engineering and construction of this project.'"

This sort of stuff is called attempting to get your name in the news and then later taking credit for what is happening anyway. There are extensive laws and rules, both Federal and in California, giving required percentages of participation for both minority owned and small businesses. You better believe that these are being followed and treated as minimums regardless of whether or not Mr. Jordan gets out there and stomps and screams or sits back and does nothing.

[WhoozOn1st]

California's HSR Authority has announced plans for a joint acquisition, with LACMTA, of Los Angeles Union Station and other land for a SoCal HSR hub, light rail regional connector, and other projects...

Rail board plans to buy Union Station

"The price tag for Union Station is confidential, but the bulk of the money is expected to come from the MTA. Negotiations with private equity firm TPG Capital, which is buying the property from Colorado-based ProLogis, are winding up. A deal could be concluded by late February, said Roger Moliere, MTA's chief of property management."

[WhoozOn1st]

No harm, no foul. While this is surely not the last of the distractions, at least it's one more outta the way as we continue to hope for shovels to start hitting California soil in 2012.

Rail board members cleared after probe into trips

"The [Los Angeles] Times reported in October that the rail agency was unable to document officials' trips to various countries, including France, Spain and Germany. The trips, which typically included visits with manufacturers, government officials and rail operators, as well as rides on high-speed systems, were paid for by foreign governments trying to help their homeland firms win large contracts.

"In November, the state's ethics watchdog agency notified board members Curt Pringle, Lynn Schenk, Quentin Kopp and Tom Umberg, as well the agency's former executive director, Mehdi Morshed, that it was investigating.

"The five received letters this week saying the inquiry 'determined there is no evidence that you committed a violation' of state law and that the cases were being closed."

[George Harris]

"The [Los Angeles] Times reported in October that the rail agency was unable to document officials' trips to various countries, including France, Spain and Germany. The trips, which typically included visits with manufacturers, government officials and rail operators, as well as rides on high-speed systems, were paid for by foreign governments trying to help their homeland firms win large contracts.

This is classic. It is a near equivalent to the "Are you still beating your wife" question.

If the people go, they are accused of being influenced by whoever they visit. If they do not go, they are accused of being unwilling to learn from what has been done elsewhere that is needed to build a "world class" system.

(There are two phrases that cause me a near allergic reaction: "World Class" and "State of the art", and I almost forgot one more, "International Standard" or "International Best Practice" Generally when you hear these, it is usually from someone trying to convince you that this is what their standards are and that you should use their standards without analysis.)

[George Harris]

Look, while I'll say that I wish stations were a bit nicer than the "Amshacks" in some towns...that station you put the picture up is a wonderful waste of taxpayer dollars. Couldn't they build a functional, less showy station for...say, $100 million and put the other $100 million to good use (or if they're going to spend $200 million, at least use some taste with it)?

These things are called Architectual Renderings. They are exactly what they appear to be: A painting of a concept. The reality will undoubably look much different, particularly as financial realitites begin to set in. Way too many people want a beautiful monumental structure so long as someone else is writing teh check.

[WhoozOn1st]

We'll take it. ALL of it!!

Bullet train backers want rail funds that Florida shunned

"California bullet train supporters began angling Wednesday for a sizeable share of $2.4 billion in federal high-speed rail funding that Florida Gov. Rick Scott rejected."

"'The state is "in a great position to be … competitive for federal dollars,' said Jeffrey Barker, deputy executive director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. California has the nation's only truly high-speed train project in advanced stages of planning, he added."
__________________

Any other Republican governors out there feeling ideologically bound to reject money and jobs for their states? Right this way...

Edited by WhoozOn1st, 17 February 2011 - 04:18 PM.

[WhoozOn1st]

A SoCal state senator has introduced legislation to overhaul the leadership structure of the state's HSR agency, the California High-Speed Rail Authority, and also tie it more closely to state government.

"[Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach)], a former chairman of the Senate's Transportation Committee, has criticized what he sees as a lack of accountability at the agency, which has been the subject of several critical audits in recent years. He expects to head a new Senate select committee focusing on the bullet train project that will be announced soon."

Bill targets high-speed rail operations

"Among other things, the legislation would require new appointments to the board, with members required to have a range of experience in such areas as construction law, financing, engineering, environmental policy and local government. The rail agency also would be brought under the umbrella of the governor's secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing."Prospects for passage were not clear, but Lowenthal said the measure is partly intended to engage legislative leaders and Gov. Jerry Brown in a reexamination of how the project should proceed.

"High-speed rail 'is the most complex transportation project ever undertaken by the state,' Lowenthal said. 'As a supporter, I believe the project would be better served if the board members had specific expertise.'"

[WhoozOn1st]

The L.A. Times calls this little confab "the first gathering of firms hoping to design, build or operate part of the network of trains slated to run up to 220 miles per hour between major cities in California," but in fact there was an earlier symposium, partly sponsored by the Japanese government and featuring Japanese companies, held in a downtown hotel in January (complete with sushi, wine, and brewski afterward!).

Bullet train officials hold forum for potential contractors

"With state officials committed to breaking ground next year on a $43-billion Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed rail link, would-be bidders from Asia, Europe and across the United States are lining up to compete."

"California has done well in the administration's push to build high-speed rail, obtaining about $3.75 billion in federal grants. But the state still needs tens of billions of dollars in federal and private funding to finish even the 520-mile first phase of the system."

[George Harris]

The current concept for the San Jose station looks nothing like the archtectural rendering in the LA Times article. It is much, much smaller and is planned to be over the top of the existing San Jose railroad statin used by Caltrain and Amtrak. At this point, a quick look on amtraktrains site after doing a late night check on office emails, I am not going to attempt to hunt down a reasonably accurate likeness of the current scheme that has been presented to the public. Those interested, good luck and have fun.

[WhoozOn1st]

I'm no expert, or lawyer, or politico, but this seems like an attempt to (take your pick) a) hijack Cal HSR to suit local ends, b) piggyback Caltrain's electrification dreams on Cal HSR's budget, or c) some combination of a & b.

Peninsula lawmakers call for 'blended' approach to high-speed rail

"Through a combination of electrification, a new train control system and other improvements, the lawmakers say it's possible to create a '21st Century Caltrain' system that would send high-speed trains from San Jose to San Francisco. North of San Jose, bullet trains would use the same tracks as an upgraded Caltrain and pass commuter trains in the same way that Baby Bullets pass non-express trains.

"The lawmakers said they want the system to remain within the Caltrain right of way and would oppose running trains along elevated structures. They also said the rail authority should halt work on a study of the current project's environmental impacts, branding it a "fool's errand" in the face of local opposition and limited funding. The federal government last week eliminated all funding for high-speed rail projects."

BTW, there's that same graphic as in the L.A. Times, this time credited to the Cal HSR Authority, and again said to be a rendering of the proposed San Jose station.

[George Harris]

I'm no expert, or lawyer, or politico, but this seems like an attempt to (take your pick) a) hijack Cal HSR to suit local ends, b) piggyback Caltrain's electrification dreams on Cal HSR's budget, or c) some combination of a & b.

Yes

[Spokker]

Caltrain and HSR should be an integrated system on the Peninsula. The service should be operated as such that any train can use any track and stop at any platform at any time.

There should be no barriers obstructing access from one system to the other. Transfers should be cross-platform and as seamless as possible. Stations should be designed to focus on the pedestrian experience. Train stations on the Peninsula should adhere to this principle at all times, the pedestrian is king.

I don't know if Eshoo and Simitian care about all that, but their integrated solution moves the project in the right direction.

[WhoozOn1st]

We've heard from this guy before, a persistent critic of rail of any kind, and a cheerleader for increased burning of fossil fuels. This time he takes aim at California's HSR plans...

High-speed rail hopes are off the tracks

After trotting out a few numbers attributed to the current administration, there's this:

"This is only a tiny fraction of the resources that would be required to make high-speed rail a viable intercity transportation option. Even if we were prepared to further bankrupt ourselves doing so, we would accomplish nothing that cannot be accomplished much more cheaply by expanding airports, better maintaining and managing roads, and using conventional technology to burn gasoline and jet fuel even more cleanly.

"The market for U.S air travel has been aggressively deregulated, and airfares are relatively low. As a result, U.S. airlines capture a large share of the market for short intercity trips. Even with recent increases in the price of oil, retail gasoline prices in the U.S. are about half the pump price in Europe, and the differential is even greater relative to places such as China and India. Consequently, a large share of the U.S. market for medium and long trips is accounted for by automobile travel. There is not enough room for high-speed rail to compete."
________________________

Oh, and for the 3rd time in about a week the exact same rendering is said to be the San Jose HSR station, for the second time attributed to the Cal HSR Authority.

[Devil's Advocate]

"The lawmakers said they want the system to remain within the Caltrain right of way and would oppose running trains along elevated structures. They also said the rail authority should halt work on a study of the current project's environmental impacts, branding it a "fool's errand" in the face of local opposition and limited funding. The federal government last week eliminated all funding for high-speed rail projects."

I hate to say it, but that's not such an unreasonable interpretation given how much of a pummeling HSR has taken from recently elected politicians. If CA has lost all funding for HSR from the federal government how can they possibly hope to pay for all $50 billion plus they expect this system to cost?

Edited by daxomni, 25 April 2011 - 02:47 PM.

[afigg]

"The lawmakers said they want the system to remain within the Caltrain right of way and would oppose running trains along elevated structures. They also said the rail authority should halt work on a study of the current project's environmental impacts, branding it a "fool's errand" in the face of local opposition and limited funding. The federal government last week eliminated all funding for high-speed rail projects."

I hate to say it, but that's not such an unreasonable interpretation given how much of a pummeling HSR has taken from recently elected politicians. If CA has lost all funding for HSR from the federal government how can they possibly hope to pay for all $50 billion plus they expect this system to cost?

CA did not lose funding that has already been granted for the HSR project. The quote mis-represents what happened in the FY2011 budget outcome. The $1 billion that the Obama administration had requested for FY11 for HSIPR was deleted as was the $2.5 billion in the appropriations bill that passed the House last fall, so there is zero funding for FY11. $400 million of the FY2010 HSIPR funding returned by Gov. Scott in Florida was rescinded. However, that leaves $8 billion of the stimulus funding and $2.1 billion from the FY10 appropriations intact and to be to put to work over the next 6 years. CA HSR still has around $3.6 billion of federal funding to use. $2.03 billion of the Florida HSR funds are to be re-allocated by the FRA and Secretary LaHood and CA HSR is likely to get a fair sized piece of that money. The CHSRA applied for more than $2.43 billion for the Florida funds before the $400 million of it was rescinded, have to give them points for that.

As for the Caltrain San Jose-SF corridor, I think it is better to do it right the first time around rather than to seriously hinder the HSR system from the outset. Build the 4 track grade separated corridor and be done with it. It is a 4 track rail line, not a limited access 4 lane highway which takes up a much wider ROW.