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It's pretty troubled project. Way over budget and when it opens in 2025 you will be able to go only as far as Bakersfield. The last section to LA is still in "

It's pretty troubled project. Way over budget and when it opens in 2025 you will be able to go only as far as Bakersfield. The last section to LA is still in "environmental review" (ie fighting the Nimbies).

jrockway 5y ago
Yeah, that's a good assessment. It is troubled, but I don't think you can do big projects without trouble. Think about how high tensions can get when planning a two week software engineering sprint. Now imagine a project that's a million times bigger than that, where people will have their houses torn down. There's going to be some trouble. What is amazing that despite the trouble, some progress is being made. (There are lots of things working against CAHSR. The route has been chosen politically rather than to minimize SFO-LAX travel times. Given infinite budget, you travelers on that route don't want to go through Bakersfield, as it's out of the way. And, the SFO/LAX city pair is already not a particularly optimal pair, it is kind of reaching the high end of distances that make high-speed rail the best travel option. That's why I look at Texas Central and Brightline for models of what to do in the future. Texas Central is a really good city pairing, in a region where their 16 lane highways can't handle the traffic volume. But I temper my enthusiasm in that not a lot of construction work has been done; I can't find any updates newer than September 2021 when the CEO said pessimistically that there is only a 50/50 chance that construction will start in the next 6 months. We're near the end of those 6 months.)
ZanyProgrammer 5y ago
At this point I’m just glad Caltrain is finally getting electrified.
- Gibbon1 5y ago
  I just saw a blurb that they've just finished pouring the last foundation for the overhead catenary system. Currently half of the work going on right now is grade separation that includes both the future high speed rail line and the current freight rail line. So there is some method to their madness. The grade separation provides immediate benefits. Lot of info linked here https://www.buildhsr.com/ https://www.buildhsr.com/
  - ZanyProgrammer 5y ago
    the fact that there's still freight on the Peninsula is another problem.
    - Gibbon1 5y ago
      The people that live on the peninsula are a problem. They should have run the high speed rail up the east side of the bay then under the bay to SF.
      - ZanyProgrammer 5y ago
        There are many CAHSR related problems.

jrockway 5y ago

Yeah, that's a good assessment. It is troubled, but I don't think you can do big projects without trouble. Think about how high tensions can get when planning a two week software engineering sprint. Now imagine a project that's a million times bigger than that, where people will have their houses torn down. There's going to be some trouble. What is amazing that despite the trouble, some progress is being made. (There are lots of things working against CAHSR. The route has been chosen politically rather than to minimize SFO-LAX travel times. Given infinite budget, you travelers on that route don't want to go through Bakersfield, as it's out of the way. And, the SFO/LAX city pair is already not a particularly optimal pair, it is kind of reaching the high end of distances that make high-speed rail the best travel option. That's why I look at Texas Central and Brightline for models of what to do in the future. Texas Central is a really good city pairing, in a region where their 16 lane highways can't handle the traffic volume. But I temper my enthusiasm in that not a lot of construction work has been done; I can't find any updates newer than September 2021 when the CEO said pessimistically that there is only a 50/50 chance that construction will start in the next 6 months. We're near the end of those 6 months.)

ZanyProgrammer 5y ago

At this point I’m just glad Caltrain is finally getting electrified.

Gibbon1 5y ago
I just saw a blurb that they've just finished pouring the last foundation for the overhead catenary system. Currently half of the work going on right now is grade separation that includes both the future high speed rail line and the current freight rail line. So there is some method to their madness. The grade separation provides immediate benefits. Lot of info linked here https://www.buildhsr.com/ https://www.buildhsr.com/
- ZanyProgrammer 5y ago
  the fact that there's still freight on the Peninsula is another problem.
  - Gibbon1 5y ago
    The people that live on the peninsula are a problem. They should have run the high speed rail up the east side of the bay then under the bay to SF.
    - ZanyProgrammer 5y ago
      There are many CAHSR related problems.