Fair, but you are forgetting that this is California, so even though we are beginning construction in the 21st century all of the technological gains will be pu

Fair, but you are forgetting that this is California, so even though we are beginning construction in the 21st century all of the technological gains will be put toward safety and environmentalism, not efficiency or speed; we won't get a "modern conventional HSR (320~350 max speed)". And the the HSR line is not going to be one with "few stops along the way", but with lots of stops, this is further compounded by the reality that in California city centers aren't nearly as easily accessible through public transportation as they are in Europe or Japan. LA was built around cars, and good luck getting anywhere in the valley or even the East Bay without a car.