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The argument is that the payoff will be worth many times more than whatever they go over budget by, as proven in Japan. I don’t agree with the argument because

The argument is that the payoff will be worth many times more than whatever they go over budget by, as proven in Japan. I don’t agree with the argument because Japan was connecting cities that already had, or built out, incredible public transport, and not a city like LA which is almost designed to make public transport as ineffective as possible. I’m not sure LA-SF will be as effective when the rider has to then rent a car on the LA side at least, which means it’s almost certainly cost and maybe even time effective to just drive. The argument that you’re pointing out is a defense against the loud criticism CA HSR is receiving, and is actually a valid argument…if we had to criticize stuff, when you consider the cost inefficiency of a lot of the money being poured into roads, CA HSR would not be on the top of the list of public infra projects to criticize.

Apocryphon 4y ago
> I’m not sure LA-SF will be as effective when the rider has to then rent a car on the LA side at least, which means it’s almost certainly cost and maybe even time effective to just drive. While that’s a damned good point I hadn’t considered, SF-LA is one of the busiest air routes in the world, and the second busiest in the country. So plenty are getting to LA before renting a car. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_passenger_air_routes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_passenger_air_... https://twitter.com/__zena_/status/1605421214255550464 https://twitter.com/__zena_/status/1605421214255550464 Not to mention, HSR would also service LA denizens who visit more public transit-friendly SF.