High-speed rail statement

A deadline has expired for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign a bill, AB 3034, that would have put in place financial guidelines for the $9.95-billion bond on the November ballot for a high-speed rail system in California.

Legislators spent most of the summer squabbling over the proposed route for the bullet train and other perks for their own districts they wanted in the bill. By the time they sent it to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature, Schwarzenegger had already said he wasn't signing any more bills until the state's budget shortfall was solved.

Quentin Kopp, the chair of the California High Speed Rail Authority, put out a statement today saying the authority would adopt most of the guidelines anyway. The statement is after the jump -- the most interesting part, I think, is that he reiterates his promise of the train taking only 2 1/2 hours to run between L.A. and San Francisco.

If I'm doing my math correctly, that means the train will average about 140 mph on the run. Is that possible, Bottleneckers?

For what it's worth, the state bill says that the train should try to make it between L.A. and S.F. in two hours, 40 minutes and that trains should be able to run just five minutes apart.

-- Steve Hymon

Sacramento, CA -- Judge Quentin Kopp, chairman of the California High Speed Rail Authority, issued the following statement after the August 24 deadline passed to enact legislation to make revisions to Prop. 1 on the November 4, 2008 statewide ballot.

AB 3034 was held hostage after overwhelming approval by both houses of the California Legislature, for a budget agreement. Kopp reassured all Californians that the Authority Board at its September 3, 2008 San Diego meeting will adopt principles contained in the legislatively-approved AB 3034.

"Californians are ready to approve construction of a high-speed train system linking every major metropolitan area in the state. Even without this legislative action, Proposition 1 leads in all recent polling showing voter understanding and enthusiasm and their willingness ready to invest in a modern transportation alternative. Soaring gas prices, declining airline service and clogged freeways contribute to their support.

"With approval of Proposition 1, California will launch construction of the nation's first 220-mile-per hour electric train system, bringing 2 ½-hour service between downtown stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco and investing nearly a billion dollars to improve regional commuter rail connections in San Diego, Orange County, the Inland Empire and Sacramento.

"In California today there is a general consensus that our outmoded transportation system is failing us.  High-speed trains offer a solution with no operating subsidies and no new taxes.  The train network will relieve 70 million passenger trips a year that now jam our freeways. It will deliver a safe, convenient, affordable and reliable train service that will also help reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 22 million barrels per year and reduce greenhouse gases by 18 billion tons of CO2 that cause global warming.

"No longer will the old 20th century approaches to transportation meet California's needs. Electric high-speed trains traveling up to 220 miles per hour, offer a 21st century solution embraced by the rest of the world. Now, California is set to lead America again."

Comments

[Daniel OC]

i recall that the 2 hour 40 minute ride from union station - LA to transbay terminal - SF is for the express train (which would have limited stops and essentially bypass many smaller stations). the plans include local trains which will augment the system so that it's "easy" to catch an express train.... for example:

a single train will make all LA local stops (irvine through palmadale) then speed onwards to SF.

a single train will make all SF stops along the peninsula (SF through gilroy) before speeding onwards to LA

and lastly a single train will make all stops within the central valley and speed towards either SF or LA.

i'm only 22 years old... and i'm sincerely hoping that this train will be built in my lifetime.

[BOB2]

Gary K.

It only took Kruschev 8 hours to go from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 1958? The poor time that Amtrak takes to make the run is a nice rhetorical gambit from debate 101, but a train every hour at 100 mph between Los Angeles and San Diego or Santa Barbara is not poking around and meets real needs, today. The incremetal approach to developing a true high speed, frequent and reliable passenger rail system is both prudent and feasible.

Eventually we will need a final link from Southern California to Northern California, but despite cuts in air service this will remain very competitive for quite a while. Air service is being dropped today in San Luis, Santa Barbara, Bakersfield, San Diego and Fresno, especially short haul service. These need to be the first legs of an eventual rail pasenger system.

Some politicians, consultants, and contractors have no problem issuing $40 billion in general obligation bonds to build this. But, meantime how many teachers and fireman do you propose to layoff to make the general obligation bond payments? The gold plated CHSRA is the problem with, not the solution to, our intercity rail needs.

BOB2

[Aaron]

It's not going to be able to do high speeds all the way through, especially since we have to account for acceleration and deceleration, but the long and flat Central Valley segments have the potential for such high speeds that the 140mph is plausible.

At any rate, even if it was 3.5 hours, that would still solidly beat flying between LA and SF due to security and travel time between the airports and downtown. Budget 1hr to get from DTLA to LAX, 2hr before security, 1.5hr flight, and another 1 hour to get your bags again and BART into the City, and you're at just under 6 hours.

When I used to take the Acela between Boston Back Bay and New York-Penn, I arrived at Back Bay about 15 minutes before the train departed. That's a huge difference.

Once they build the LA-SF main line, this thing is going to be wildly popular, and will probably drive LAX-SFO/OAK airline prices through the floor.

[eclexia]

I seem to recall that several years ago the top speed of the train was capped at below 200mph by the use of overhead electrification rather than third rail. But maybe that was just the Caltrain ROW from Gilroy to SF.

[Gary K.]

High speed rail is the future of domestic city to city transportation. No matter how frequent the service, if Amtrak takes 11 hours to travel between LA and SF, many people will not use it. More and more flights are dropping from LAX because it is no longer cost effective to fly shorter distances in light of rising fuel costs and the inefficiency of jet engines.

BOB2 seems to be confused about some things. The train connects many in between cities, have you decided to not look at the route map before blasting the proposal? The train goes 220 MPH, the 140 MPH average is accounting for stops and reacceleration at in between cities.

We can poke around with Amtrak improvements for an eternity or we can build a modern train line like other developed countries are doing. In Spain, where Madrid and Barcelona were recently connected by HSR at a travel time similar to SF to LA, the train has snatched up 30% of the commuter travel in less than 6 months in what was a formally high traffic air corridor. If California builds high speed rail I'm willing to bet money it won't take long before demand for rail sky rockets.

[BOB2]

Steve,

It is possible to build a train that would average 140 miles per hour. You only have to spend $40 billion dollars. Is it necessary or desirable to achieve this speed? Is this speed achievable unless you do it non stop, leaving all of those towns in between without service? Is this the best fit for demand we have in the state for passenger rail transportation? Or was your French observer correct and we need more frequent, reliable, and speedier service first?

This ill conceived measure was stillborn, due to the failure to have a real and doable rail passenger plan for California. CHSRA is incapable of giving us that.

BOB2