Passenger Trains > Feds not gonna pay for Cal HSR

President Donald Trump said today that the federal government will not pay for California's high speed rail project.

"Worst over run I've ever seen"

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/us/politics/california-high-speed-rail-federal-funding.html

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> "Worst over run I've ever seen"

Not many people will argue with that quote.

How about a train to Alcatraz?

Saw that coming. No news there.

MEKoch Wrote:
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> How about a train to Alcatraz?

Alcatraz is an island. Do you propose rail-barge traffic to it?

HotWater Wrote:
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> MEKoch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > How about a train to Alcatraz?
>
> Alcatraz is an island. Do you propose rail-barge
> traffic to it?

Just build a great big beautiful bridge. Impressive. the greatest bridge. People, many people, say that .

(At least as practical as reopening Alcatraz for its original purpose.). . .

TAW

MEKoch Wrote:
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> How about a train to Alcatraz?

Jet-powered hydrofoils might be more appropriate, especially considering who should be interned there (corrupt politicians). They're going to insist on such "Essential Serivce" even if they might be on a one way trip. :-)

Headline:

"California unveils plan for high speed rail service to Honolulu"

Not feasible?  It turns out it's probably as "feasible" as California building high speed rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles...given the results of that endeavor.

HotWater Wrote:
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> MEKoch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > How about a train to Alcatraz?
>
> Alcatraz is an island. Do you propose rail-barge
> traffic to it?

That's what they did when the moved the inmates in back in 1934.

At one time the early BART plans had a tunnel going to Marin County, not quite Alcatraz but really close.

> -----
> > How about a train to Alcatraz?
>
> Alcatraz is an island. Do you propose rail-barge
> traffic to it?

Nobody to blame but themselves.
Just like the emperor who had no clothes, the railroad who has no track.
Try they may to blame the president but they should look in the mirror.

Just like amtrak, nobody was better at putting a target on their back than CAHSR.

 

MEKoch Wrote:
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> How about a train to Alcatraz?

Yes but they’ll only sell one way tickets.

Posted from iPhone

DutchDragon Wrote:
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> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> ---------------------------------------
>
> > "Worst over run I've ever seen"
>
> Not many people will argue with that quote.

That's why I'll always call it a Pipe Dream!

Posted from Android

And now we'll end up with the predicted "train to nowhere".  That it is my biggest dissapointment with the project.  If they had focused on building incremental sections that could be used by existing services, there would be future value in what was built.  I'm worried that the HSR line will end up like the former North Sacaremento Freeway that originally was I-80 in Sacaremento.  That at least got reused to host the SacRT Blue line.  Don't know what can be done with the HSR infrastructure, maybe it becomes a new road.  

I know some CalHSR funds were used for electrifying CalTrain.  It would have been nice to see them also build highlevel platforms on the Pennisula and do similar electrification and platform work for Metrolink between LA Union Station and say Sylmar to balance the political aspects of building stuff to help both Northern and Southern California.  Then California would have gotten something useful out of this.  Or, focused on building the line between Lancaster and Bakersfield to close the gap for the San Joaquins (even if you had to switch train types in Bakersfield).  But either of those plans that would have been too practical, and it's too late now.  :(

Nathan

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> President Donald Trump said today that the federal
> government will not pay for California's high
> speed rail project.
>
> "Worst over run I've ever seen"
>
> https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/us/politics/cal
> ifornia-high-speed-rail-federal-funding.html
>
> Posted from Android

No problem.  Californnia has the fourth largest ecomony in the world.  If the feds can't pay for California projects then maybe the taxpayers (and state coffers) should stop paying any federal taxes in return TBH California (and other western statres) should leave the United States and form their own country or join Canada.
 

bnsf6606 Wrote:
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>California (and other western
> statres) should leave the United States and form
> their own country or join Canada.
>  

There's already a "movement" out there that wants California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia to leave the United States and Canada and form their own country.

PHall Wrote:
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> bnsf6606 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >California (and other western
> > statres) should leave the United States and
> form
> > their own country or join Canada.
> >  
>
> There's already a "movement" out there that wants
> California, Oregon, Washington and British
> Columbia to leave the United States and Canada and
> form their own country.

Cascadia!

One of British Columbia's demands for joining Canada in the 1880s was a railroad link to eastern Canada by 12/31/1884, I believe.  Mr Van Horne and the Canadian Pacific made it by a few days, I believe.  Otherwise BC would become its own country, or maybe join the US...

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > bnsf6606 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > >California (and other western
> > > statres) should leave the United States and
> > form
> > > their own country or join Canada.
> > >  
> >
> > There's already a "movement" out there that
> wants
> > California, Oregon, Washington and British
> > Columbia to leave the United States and Canada
> and
> > form their own country.
>
> Cascadia!
>
> One of British Columbia's demands for joining
> Canada in the 1880s was a railroad link to eastern
> Canada by 12/31/1884, I believe.  Mr Van Horne
> and the Canadian Pacific made it by a few days, I
> believe.  Otherwise BC would become its own
> country, or maybe join the US...

Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach 1976. 

TAW

Without private or corporate investment partnerships, what is the incentive to complete these projects successfully?
 

HotWater Wrote:
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> MEKoch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > How about a train to Alcatraz?
>
> Alcatraz is an island. Do you propose rail-barge
> traffic to it?

SP used to barge a Harriman coach over there to deliver prisoners.