California cancels plan for high-speed train between Los Angeles and San Francisco

[millefleur 5,038]

Quote

 

Gavin Newsom says project ‘would cost too much and respectfully take too long’, with too little oversight.

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Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday he is abandoning a plan to build a high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, a project with an estimated cost that has ballooned to $77bn.

“Let’s be real,” the California governor said in his first state of the state address. “The current project, as planned, would cost too much and respectfully take too long. There’s been too little oversight and not enough transparency.”

 

The idea long championed by Newsom’s predecessor, Jerry Brown, is years behind schedule. The latest estimate for completion is 2033.

 

Newsom, though, said he wants to finish construction that is already under way on a segment of the high-speed train through California’s Central Valley, arguing it will revitalize the economically depressed region. He is also replacing Brown’s head of the state board that oversees the project and pledged more accountability for contractors that run over on costs.

 

Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/12/california-high-speed-rail-la-san-francisco-cancelled

 

Meanwhile in China... https://gbtimes.com/china-tests-new-generation-of-maglev-train

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

http://maglevmn.weebly.com/cost-of-maglev.html

 

Not only very expensive to build, but I can only imagine what it costs to cool the magnets to -200°C for them to work properly.  The energy expense must be very high.

[Boiler 43,595]

#NewGreenDeal

 

Any comment from AOC?

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

#NewGreenDeal

 

Any comment from AOC?

Ah umm

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

2 hours ago, Boiler said:

#NewGreenDeal

 

Any comment from AOC?

She said when she is president, and a foreign power launches fighter jets towards the US, she will unleash the full power of the train force on them!

Edited February 13, 2019 by ALFKAD

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

4 hours ago, millefleur said:

 

Meanwhile in China... https://gbtimes.com/china-tests-new-generation-of-maglev-train

 

3 hours ago, ALFKAD said:

http://maglevmn.weebly.com/cost-of-maglev.html

 

Not only very expensive to build, but I can only imagine what it costs to cool the magnets to -200°C for them to work properly.  The energy expense must be very high.

I have been following this for quite some time since my time living in California. Also the people I still listen that are based out of big time LA radio station have been on them for years as well calling it a "Train to no where" They have been annotating the problems with this whole program for years and they have noted that this whole project was one big slush fund for people  to give high paying jobs to their cronies. Not to mention there was no legitimate plan on how they were going to go either over or through the mountains in a active seismic area. 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Cyberfx1024

[eieio 1,594]

Good. I hate the stupid trains. The light rail in Mlps. is a joke.  B

 

Build roads not rails.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

9 minutes ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

 

I have been following this for quite some time since my time living in California. Also the people I still listen that are based out of big time LA radio station have been on them for years as well calling it a "Train to no where" They have been annotating the problems with this whole program for years and they have noted that this whole project was one big slush fund for people  to give high paying jobs to their cronies. Not to mention there was no legitimate plan on how they were going to go either over or through the mountains in a active seismic area. 

I’m sure there is a lot of corruption among the contractors and the state.  

 

But the Chinese and Japanese have been very successful with theirs.  The cost to build is astronomical, of course, but in high population centers like China, I am sure the money is worth it in the end.

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

24 minutes ago, ALFKAD said:

I’m sure there is a lot of corruption among the contractors and the state.  

 

But the Chinese and Japanese have been very successful with theirs.  The cost to build is astronomical, of course, but in high population centers like China, I am sure the money is worth it in the end.

You are right the cost to build is astronomical and it was wanted for the original timeline/cost estimate. But they kept adding time to the route and increased costs as well.The original bond measure was to build a "high speed train" from LA to SF in 2 hours and 30 minutes. At the end they already stated they would never be able to make that timeline because they would use both high speed rail and commuter rail. 

[millefleur 5,038]

55 minutes ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

I have been following this for quite some time since my time living in California. Also the people I still listen that are based out of big time LA radio station have been on them for years as well calling it a "Train to no where" They have been annotating the problems with this whole program for years and they have noted that this whole project was one big slush fund for people  to give high paying jobs to their cronies. Not to mention there was no legitimate plan on how they were going to go either over or through the mountains in a active seismic area. 

In terms of going through mountains, much of that technology has been developed by China and Japan and even places like Switzerland to a degree, the entire country of Japan is one giant hotbed of seismic activity but they have amazing high speed trains. I definitely think it's the cronyism that killed the project and the general indifference Americans have towards trains, especially when flights between LA-SF are some of the cheapest around.

 

Any thoughts on the Elon Musk's Loop project in LA? I'm really skeptical myself but at least it's privately funded, I just don't think it seems like a better idea than a subway system.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-reveals-next-steps-for-the-boring-company-2018-12

 

 

[refugee 169]

1 hour ago, eieio said:

Good. I hate the stupid trains. The light rail in Mlps. is a joke.  B

 

Build roads not rails.

 

Let's fix the ones you have

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

1 hour ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

You are right the cost to build is astronomical and it was wanted for the original timeline/cost estimate. But they kept adding time to the route and increased costs as well.The original bond measure was to build a "high speed train" from LA to SF in 2 hours and 30 minutes. At the end they already stated they would never be able to make that timeline because they would use both high speed rail and commuter rail. 

Imagine if CA just put even a fraction of that money towards building a Southern wall??

 

If only we had a fast way to travel, that didn’t require extensive building, and got people there safely.  It’s a shame aviation is going away soon!

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,319]

12 minutes ago, ALFKAD said:

Imagine if CA just put even a fraction of that money towards building a Southern wall??

 

If only we had a fast way to travel, that didn’t require extensive building, and got people there safely.  It’s a shame aviation is going away soon!

I have a pilot buddy. Maybe he can retrain to drive the new high speed train from Florida to the Dominican Republic 

[eieio 1,594]

1 hour ago, refugee said:

 

Let's fix the ones you have

I agree. No wasted money on trains.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

9 hours ago, Nature Boy 2.0 said:

I have a pilot buddy. Maybe he can retrain to drive the new high speed train from Florida to the Dominican Republic 

He better to learn fast.  When AOC becomes president, planes will become free housing for those who cannot afford rent.