Passenger Trains > article/video on calif. hsr funding and completion.....

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/17/why-californias-high-speed-rail-is-taking-so-long-to-complete.html

66

And meanwhile, in Washington, the rich bullet train fans expect us to believe (and way too many folks do) that they will have a 220 mph railroad in service Vancouver BC - Seattle - Portland by 2030 for 24-42 Gigabucks...
oh, and they want the public to pay for it. Already, almost all rail funding is being directed to a UHSR (Ultra because, y'know, our rich people's project gotta be cooler than other rich people's project). Climate Commitment Act funding is being directed to it (because it will be in service by 2030).

https://www.cascadiarail.org/

They have made claims of Vancouver-Seattle and Seattle-Portland in an hour yet serving communities along the line and not needing entirely new right of way while achieving that running time.

After six years of 'planning' costing millions of bucks, in a presentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7worWmvN5Q&t=41s the manager of the project was not embarrassed to state that they don't have a route or even know  what technology to use. Basically, it is a bureaucracy that is in the business of spending on discussing planning in order to stay in business planning.

Oh, and the current pathetic level of Amtrak Cascades service is already faster than flying between Seattle and Portland. The Many megabuck planning that went into developing service that is an hour faster than that was ditched for being 'obsolete.'

Then, as background noise, the state government is spending on planning for the new Seattle area airport that we 'need' at the same time that they are spending on their pet 'bullet train' so people don't need to fly.

Follow The Money - and you will eventually reach a black hole.

TAW


 

Whether or not humans walk on Mars before this project is completed is an open question that only future generations will see answered.

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And meanwhile, in Washington, the rich bullet
> train fans expect us to believe (and way too many
> folks do) that they will have a 220 mph railroad
> in service Vancouver BC - Seattle - Portland by
> 2030 for 24-42 Gigabucks...
> oh, and they want the public to pay for it.
> Already, almost all rail funding is being directed
> to a UHSR (Ultra because, y'know, our rich
> people's project gotta be cooler than other rich
> people's project). Climate Commitment Act funding
> is being directed to it (because it will be in
> service by 2030).
>
> https://www.cascadiarail.org/
>
> They have made claims of Vancouver-Seattle and
> Seattle-Portland in an hour yet serving
> communities along the line and not needing
> entirely new right of way while achieving that
> running time.
>
> After six years of 'planning' costing millions of
> bucks, in a presentation
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7worWmvN5Q&t=41s
> the manager of the project was not embarrassed to
> state that they don't have a route or even know 
> what technology to use. Basically, it is a
> bureaucracy that is in the business of spending on
> discussing planning in order to stay in business
> planning.
>
> Oh, and the current pathetic level of Amtrak
> Cascades service is already faster than flying
> between Seattle and Portland. The Many megabuck
> planning that went into developing service that is
> an hour faster than that was ditched for being
> 'obsolete.'
>
> Then, as background noise, the state government is
> spending on planning for the new Seattle area
> airport that we 'need' at the same time that they
> are spending on their pet 'bullet train' so people
> don't need to fly.
>
> Follow The Money - and you will eventually reach a
> black hole.
>
> TAW
>
>
>  
Pipedream

Posted from Android

goduckies Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------


> >  
> Pipedream
>

...but a well funded one.

TAW

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> goduckies Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
>
> > >  
> > Pipedream
> >
>
> ...but a well funded one.
>
> TAW


Yup, so consultants can keep getting rich— ( cliche: “they steal your own watch off your wrist to tell you what time it is!)
Way to go, ‘Merica!!

Thanks for the entertainment!

“One of the biggest hurdles clearly is funding,” said Toks Omishakin, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency. “We can’t get this project done without federal support. It’s just not going to happen.“

All large scale rail projects that succeeded had a good plan before obtaining funding, which includes the Transcontinental Railroad and the Shinkansen. We had people praise Judah and his efforts in other threads, or are people not smart enough to associate that with the success of the Transcontinental Railroad? Or CA HSR's mindless cheerleaders just want to mention it to win pointless arguments?

So the biggest hurdle is not funding, but proper planning. Where's the detailed plans for Pacheco and Tehachapi Passes? "422 out of 500 miles" cleared is totally meaningless in that context. Besides, mountain passes have less of a NIMBY problem than populated areas - another reason why those segments should have started construction already.

The project recently celebrated its 10,000th construction worker on the job.

Many startups that failed celebrate "employee #xxx." I know the author might be selling the excitement to ignorant techies, but I find it very funny.

There are so many excuses in the article it's pathetic. But the cheerleaders will cheer on, hooked on the idea of high speed train, but totally neglecting the fact that they can't ride one, even after 15 years. Prime example of brainwashing if I ever saw one.

the plans for going through/over pacheco and tehachipi passes are what i have been waiting for. 

that will be interesting, especially the costs...........

66


 

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> the plans for going through/over pacheco and
> tehachipi passes are what i have been waiting
> for. 
>
> that will be interesting, especially the
> costs...........
>
> 66

I'm not worried about the costs. There will be delays and overruns. Even if there was absolutely no corruption, there's inexperience and incompetence.

None of the experienced firms in Japan will likely sign up, because they got the message years ago when Governor Schwarzenegger went on an Asian HSR tour, let the Chinese bully him into riding the slow segment in Japan, yet a real high speed segment in China as a propaganda sales pitch. When he went, the Tohoku Shinkansen extension to Shin-Aomori was being constructed so CA HSR Authority leaders and "consultants" had the perfect chance to observe firsthand how it is done... blew that chance, and likely insulted the Japanese railroad people.

I'm expecting "unexpected landslides" and other "anomalies" to delay the mountain segments further (if CA HSR ever gets that far), because idiots will be laying out the routing. In other words, I'm not waiting, and I'm not eager.

Ca HSR'll always be a joke, the PNW Routing, good luck, they're gonna need it!

IC_2024 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Yup, so consultants can keep getting rich— (
> cliche: “they steal your own watch off your
> wrist to tell you what time it is!)

Not this one. I'm too well known for telling folks what they don't want to hear.

TAW

it will be interesting to see IF california's budget deficit impacts cahsr..........

66

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> it will be interesting to see IF california's
> budget deficit impacts cahsr..........
>
> 66

Too many of us are stuck in the money issue. Blame all our media for making everything about votes and money only.

CA politicians scheming to get federal funding (CA HSR, Brightline West) implies they need those expensive projects to launder funds to prop up the budget deficit, so it's my opinion that the roles should be reversed, CA HSR impacting CA's budget. Just speculating based on actions of "leaders", not their hot air.

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> it will be interesting to see IF california's
> budget deficit impacts cahsr..........
>
> 66


It won't, different pot of money.

The concrete beam manufacturing caught my attention. Is it really cheaper to build their own beams vs buying from an already established manufacturer? It may be a small thing but this and how many other “little things” add up.

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> it will be interesting to see IF california's
> budget deficit impacts cahsr..........
>
> 66

It'll really screw it over byond the point of no return!

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And meanwhile, in Washington, the rich bullet
> train fans expect us to believe (and way too many
> folks do) that they will have a 220 mph railroad
> in service Vancouver BC - Seattle - Portland by
> 2030 for 24-42 Gigabucks...
> oh, and they want the public to pay for it.
> Already, almost all rail funding is being directed
> to a UHSR (Ultra because, y'know, our rich
> people's project gotta be cooler than other rich
> people's project). Climate Commitment Act funding
> is being directed to it (because it will be in
> service by 2030).
>
> https://www.cascadiarail.org/
>
> They have made claims of Vancouver-Seattle and
> Seattle-Portland in an hour yet serving
> communities along the line and not needing
> entirely new right of way while achieving that
> running time.
>
> After six years of 'planning' costing millions of
> bucks, in a presentation
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7worWmvN5Q&t=41s
> the manager of the project was not embarrassed to
> state that they don't have a route or even know 
> what technology to use. Basically, it is a
> bureaucracy that is in the business of spending on
> discussing planning in order to stay in business
> planning.
>
> Oh, and the current pathetic level of Amtrak
> Cascades service is already faster than flying
> between Seattle and Portland. The Many megabuck
> planning that went into developing service that is
> an hour faster than that was ditched for being
> 'obsolete.'
>
> Then, as background noise, the state government is
> spending on planning for the new Seattle area
> airport that we 'need' at the same time that they
> are spending on their pet 'bullet train' so people
> don't need to fly.
>
> Follow The Money - and you will eventually reach a
> black hole.
>
> TAW
>
>
>  

This is what happens in a one party state. Same thing happening here in California.

Posted from iPhone

SanDiegan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> >  
>
> This is what happens in a one party state. Same
> thing happening here in California.
>


There are indeed two parties in Washington. At the moment, the D party has the Gov and the majority of H & S, but there are supporters and opponents of the Cascades program in both parties.

The Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor (--> Amtrak Cascades) was created under a D Gov by a R Secy of Transportation. Dismantling the program began under a D Gov and a D Secy of Transportation.

One of the money people behind the bullet train black hole that is sucking all the resources is a former D governor.

Appearances and assumptions based thereon may be deceiving.

TAW