Great points.
You observation about communities opposing giving up land without getting a HSR station is spot on for one of the biggest flaws in the California HSR plan.
HSR is not a metro rail. A well designed HSR system has a minimum 200 miles between stops. You want fast trains to go fast. 30 miles or less between stations is a gross waste of HSR best asset. Speed.
Regional rail, light rail, monorail, buses and anything else you can think of is what should handle the need for frequent stops and should feed into and out of centralized HSR stations.
Regional rail running at 80 to 120 mph and light rail running up to 80 mph are more cost effective solutions for multiple stops. Regional rail should stop no more often then every 20 miles. It is for your larger regional markets. Light rail can stop as often as needed to fill the gaps. HSRs on dedicated tracks fits in to handle the 200 miles or more running between major metropolitan areas. The desert southwest is the prefect place to start the US HSR system.
Local system design is important to make it all work. Local train schedules need to keep the number of stops reasonable. A train stopping 12 times in 40 miles, like the MBTA does going north out of Boston, is almost useless to a commuter. And contrary to popular myths, trains do run into traffic. Little details like locating stations on side tracks to allow other trains to pass on the main line while a train is stopped loading can make a huge difference in day to day operations. Another problem is most commuter rail runs on the same tracks as freight trains. Commuter trains are often held up while freight trains stop to drop cars at train yards.
All of these problems and the solutions are almost as old as trains themselves, but have been forgotten by the alleged experts behind the California HSR plan.
