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Why is that above grade anyway ?
by thehappypm 4y ago
Why is that above grade anyway ?
- bombcar 4y agoLikely to get over something else somewhere else (highway, building, roads, river) without having to climb and come back down. High speed rail doesn't want to climb at all if possible, certainly less than normal rail (and much, much less than light rail).
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y agoNot sure about this specific stretch, but there is at least one stretch where they elevated the track to get over a stubborn farmer's land who refused to sell. Apparently eminent domain can take a really long time if the landowner is dead-set on mucking up the process with lawyers, so they just went over his land instead of dividing it, mainly to send a message to any potential future holdouts. (i.e. He could've just accepted the generous offer, but instead got paid nothing.)
- octoberfranklin 4y agoBecause that photo is part of the section that has to cross over a preexisting freight railroad. Transcontinental freight railroads have insane godlike legal powers. Immune to eminent domain, property taxes, even get to ignore the IBC when they build buildings.