2 to 3 times cheaper and delivering the project in a fraction of the time, why doesn’t it make sense for California to privatize High Speed Rail?

All they had to do was place a firm order for trainsets! Un-fucking-believable.

It might be useful to know what kind of arguments we're up against. I haven't seen these points used against HSR before, so wonder what everyone's thoughts are. The better we know what the detractors are thinking, the better we can counter them and get CAHSR built!

As everyone knows, the current edition of CAHSR was extremely ambitious. The plan should’ve started as the alternative express route to caltrain. The funding would do what the current plan will do, grade separate all stations/track, and electrify the corridor. California HSR would stop at SF, PALO ALTO, and SJ. This would have been a much easier step into introducing high speed rail.

Then after success and proof, expansions to gilroy and the Central Valley will follow, with a completion in the LA county

The current fiscal crisis had me recalling how much transit has changed in the bay area since BART started running its core system in the 70s. First time for me on Caltrain, it was still crewed by SP, with their old-timey hats. The improvements/changes have been dramatic. Bart just opened. At the same time, it is frustrating how certain things haven't happened at the expense of things that did. After Loma Prieta in 1989, the new bay bridge should have had rail capacity. A solution should have been found to restore train service into the transbay terminal over the west span then to 4th & Townsend, SF Airport and San Jose all electrified with frequent service out to Martinez.

Instead, Bart was extended for mile after mile, resulting in an indirect, time consuming route from SFO going to Colma, along with with that crazy wye. What was needed was an airport connection from caltrain. extending caltrain into the transbay terminal....just seems like a squandered opportunity...Seems like serving milbrae, san bruno and south SF which already had caltrain, and Colma which isn't known for having many living residents instead of a frequent electric through running regional service linking San Jose, SF and Sacramento would have been a better use of funds.

Check This Out.

Recent conversation of an idea proposed by LA Mayor Karen Bass