Comments on: Breaking News: Governor Agrees to Sign High-Speed Rail Bill

By: Gary Kavanagh

Gary Kavanagh — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:56:04 +0000

I consider my self a realistic optimist. I don't want to get my hopes up to high for this, but if I just cynically write it off as people are dumb and we'll just shovel more money to cars, then I will give up, stop trying to influence change and mope. I plan to actively campaign for this train, because I believe it is important enough to try. Maybe it will fail, but ideas don't succeed without people believing in them.

By: Spaniard

Spaniard — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:57:35 +0000

Exists 3 types of trains.

Conventional trains. It has at-grade crossings, a lot of stops, etc. Slow
High Speed Rail. Use powerfull trains, dedicated, more linear line and little stops. Fast (350 Km/h top)
MagLev - Very High Speed Rail - Very costly, special lines (superconductos or magnets). UltraFast (500 km/h and above). Only for superdense traffic lines.

By: ubrayj02

ubrayj02 — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:13:32 +0000

Not a cynic in this bunch, huh?

Let's see, we'll have the MTA begging for their $.01, the high speed rail bond, the LAUSD contractor bonanza bond, multiple tax and fee increases coupled with layoffs of government workers ...

Does anyone predict that NONE of these bond and tax measures will be approved by the voting public? I'm of that mind right now. I like some of them (high speed rail, basically), but I predict most people will want to hear about how their use of a private car is going to be subsidized even deeper to make up for the high price of gasoline.

By: JDRCRASH

JDRCRASH — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:35:09 +0000

The problem with not choosing a Maglev route is that it won't be able to connect to the Desert Xpress that is planned from Anaheim to Las Vegas.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:44:29 +0000

Mark,

The proposed High Speed Rail will have it's own dedicated rails. No other trains will use them. There will be no at-grade crossings. Anywhere. Every place that a road crosses the high speed rail will be an over- or underpass.

Maglev is really cool, but it's not just expensive. For the lengths we're talking, (700 miles, ~1100km), it's an order of magnitude (or two) more expensive.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:16:35 +0000

Gary and Ian:

I love the idea of conventional rail transportation but:

Please look at the number of people commit suicide, trains collisions (passengers and freight trains), rail crossing collisions, trains hit animals along the track, etc. per year in the States.

Link: http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/R_Acc.htm

they do not represent the total number of railroad accidents! only part of them.

MAGLEV is different! MAGLEV trains travel on separate tracks! and have a top speed 500km/h (for German MAGLEV version).

That's why I support MAGLEV! Although it's expensive to build today (hope MAGLEV will soon made in China to lower the construction cost...) but building a MAGLEV it's definitely a very good investment in the long run. Link:

http://www.chinaknowledge.com/News/news-detail.aspx?type=1&id=17029

By: Ian Leighton

Ian Leighton — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:23:52 +0000

Mark —

Gary's right. Average speed 140. Maximum will be 220 mph or so, which is top technology that Shinkansen and TGVs still don't have yet. And this is all with conventional rail (maglev isn't worth the investment, when conventional can go 350+ still)

By: Gary Kavanagh

Gary Kavanagh — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:16:04 +0000

Maglev is great but it is also expensive and we are going to be lucky if we get the measure passed for this train. Perhaps when people get a taste of high speed rail in the U.S. it will garner the support needed for even faster trains in the future. Also keep in mind the difference between average and top speeds. The 2.5 hour travel time includes various stops in the route after which the train has to reaccelerate. The top speed of the proposed train is 220 MPH, which is short of a mag lev, but is fast enough to be competitive with plane travel(accounting for excess commute times to airports and longer delays) and considerably faster then cars.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:22:56 +0000

High speed train only with speed 140 MPH ~ 280Km/h ? That's too slow... Japan built the first series of Shinkansen with speed 300 km/h in the 1970s and they plan to replace the oldest Shinkasen with much faster trains...

Hope California will start building a MAGLEV and it can travel with speed more than 200MPH ~ 450 km/h... and later linking that MAGLEV to more big American cities...

BUILD MAGLEV PLEASE!! NOT CONVENTIONAL RAIL! CONVENTIONAL RAIL IS USED FOR FREIGHT Transportation! MAGLEV is for passengers.

China will start building another 200 km MAGLEV line in 2010 and completed by 2014. Link:

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gqAfhOzHvrCCKkVe2B_kti5TqAxA

By: Ingrid Peterson

Ingrid Peterson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:03:01 +0000

Looks like the GUBENATOR is signing bills again? California would be a lucky girl to get her very own high speed rail train. A lucky girl indeed.