WHY THE PUSH FOR A TRANSPORTATION SOLUTION NO ONE ASKED FOR?
One of facts I have never seen quoted are current volumes of people already traveling between LA and S.F. - by car, by train, by air, bicycle or by 20 mule team. I see huge forecast numbers of riders who will apparently come out of nowhere to take the new train - but what are these numbers based on? Should be easy data to get.
For example - How many people curently ride the railroad between these 2 cities? Easy answer - 0.
Because there is no passenger rail service between them. Why? Maybe because there was never enough rail passenger demand to begin with. So where will it come from in the future?
You've already got fast & efficient $49 air service between S.F. and LAX, or San Diego, or Ontario or Orange County or Long Beach or presumably even Burbank. How is going to just 1 H.S. rail terminal for the entire LA megopolis improving rider access?
H.S. rail works better in Europe because :
1> the rail lines/right-of-ways were already there
2> Cities generally more compact and consolidated, as well as having good public transport for people to use for H.S. rail terminal access.
I am not against new rail systems at all - but I am against our governments wanting to waste our money on projects that cannot even come close to financially justifying themselves. Given all the government debt we already have - how can any politician honestly propose more wasteful spending with $$ we do not have? What is the real incentive behind the push for H.S. rail? It has nothing to do with a railroad - and has everything to do with greed and corruption. Look to the lobbyists, contractors and politicians who cannot wait to get their hands on this H.S. rail $$ - many of them will make $$millions and they could not care less about any stupid railroad.
