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California High Speed Rail

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SwindonPkwy

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It is a great shame if it doesn't go ahead but by no means a surprise. The geography and population of California look ideal for High Speed Rail; are they now lacking the political will since Arnie left office?
 

ainsworth74

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More likely they're lacking the money to do it. California is in a pretty poor position financially.
 

Drsatan

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Still, at least the airlines haven't scuppered it, which is what happened in Texas in the mid 1990s. The state government wanted to build a high speed rail network, but the airlines serving the state banded together and persuaded senators to vote against the project, seeing as they'd lose custom.
 

SwindonPkwy

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Drsatan:1138952 said:
Still, at least the airlines haven't scuppered it, which is what happened in Texas in the mid 1990s. The state government wanted to build a high speed rail network, but the airlines serving the state banded together and persuaded senators to vote against the project, seeing as they'd lose custom.

Lobbying? In the US? Who would have thought?
 

WatcherZero

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Its past Californias Assembly, still in the air whether it will pass the states Senate though as several Democratic senators are against.
 

185

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Reading that article, there is nothing new to indicate a U turn on the project.... all the problems listed are those that have been identified at the start or early on.
 

LE Greys

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dalmahoyhill

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technically its pretty interesting line, its flat down the main valley through fresno and bakersfield so line costs are cheap. Passing over the Tejon mountains into LA is the big problem the freeway goes over the mountains. Apparantly they cant tunnel under it because of the st andreas fault runs right under the tunnel. so the route goes inland following the existing Tehachapi Pass route. so a 3000ft climb. the existing route runs in spiral and horseshoes where the HSR goes straight up.

Check the california high speed rail website.

Yep California is effectively bankrupt although there is federal funding under obamas stimulus cash pot. Many other (republican of course) states said no to the money. Trains are a bit socialist for them.
 

LE Greys

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technically its pretty interesting line, its flat down the main valley through fresno and bakersfield so line costs are cheap. Passing over the Tejon mountains into LA is the big problem the freeway goes over the mountains. Apparantly they cant tunnel under it because of the st andreas fault runs right under the tunnel. so the route goes inland following the existing Tehachapi Pass route. so a 3000ft climb. the existing route runs in spiral and horseshoes where the HSR goes straight up.

Check the california high speed rail website.

Yep California is effectively bankrupt although there is federal funding under obamas stimulus cash pot. Many other (republican of course) states said no to the money. Trains are a bit socialist for them.

That's understandable, if the fault shifts it's easier to realign on the surface than try to move a tunnel sideways even if it doesn't collapse. Still, the faster a train is moving, the easier it can carry its kinetic energy into a gradient. HS1 has some that are as long and steep as the Lickey, but Eurostars don't notice them - here being an example (a bit foreshortened).
 

Drsatan

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Yep California is effectively bankrupt although there is federal funding under obamas stimulus cash pot. Many other (republican of course) states said no to the money. Trains are a bit socialist for them.

Reminds me of an advert on one of the radio stations available on GTA San Andreas.

"Vote against Proposition 21! Because mass transit will inevitably lead to communism!"

Now that Mitt Romney's spoken against Amtrak that advert seems quite plausible...
 
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