California Building 220 MPH High-Speed Train from San Francisco to LA
Imagine a high-speed rail line that could get you from San Francisco to LA in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
That dream appears to be coming true, thanks to work by the California High-Speed Rail Authority. After getting a green light by State environmental impact assessors, they’ve begun implementation of an 800-mile bullet-train system that will connect Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Orange County and San Diego. Trains traveling at 220 mph on the systems are forecast to carry up to 100 million passengers per year by 2030.
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While 2030 is a long way off, at least things are moving in the right direction. Having a high-speed rail system connecting (eventually) the length of the West coast is a good idea for a number of reasons, including greenhouse-gas emissions reductions, improving public transportation and reducing congestion, and creating half a million new jobs. While our aging standby Amtrak is still around (believe it or not) and bearable for short distances, it’s more expensive and takes twice as much time to travel the same distance when compared to driving (non-California example: 15 hours from Portland, OR to San Francisco).
The State will have a bond measure of $9.95 billion on the November 2008 ballot, which requires a simple majority vote for approval. The measure allocates $9 billion for the high-speed rail system and $950 million for improvements to other rail services that connect to the high-speed service.
For more information, see the website of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
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This story was also reported at EcoLocalizer: A Train as Fast as a Plane: The Plan for High-Speed Rail in California Moves Forward
Photo Credit: NC3D, provided by the California High Speed Rail Authority
I think this is a great idea.
I wish we could use high speed trains like in Europe or Japan throughout the country, but it’s not realistic. This high-speed train would take 12 1/2 hours from NYC to LA, instead of 5 hours by plane. SF to LA is as far as I would want to travel by train. Europe and Japan also don’t have major cities separated by vast deserts and plains.
As for feasibility, I think this could work. New England and California are the only parts of the country where Amtrak still makes money. I think this train would be used enough to justify the cost, especially with the increase in fuel prices.
It’s a great idea but California should adopt the Interstate Traveler instead. It will be MUCH cheaper and can be constructed between the two cities in a matter of a few years, not decades.
Major infrastructure projects like trains can only be borne by governments since the payback horizon of private companies (and horizons of politician’s mandates) is too short. In addition, the cost-benefit analysis should take into account non-monetized aspects such as decrease in pollution, lesser stress on travellers, increasing potential working radius, decreasing road wear and tear etc. Governments exist to do what individuals or smaller groupings cannot easily do — invest in infrastructure that benefits society as a whole. Would the Interstate system have ever been built without the government? Would Medicare ever have existed?
Whats the point, it will cost the same as driving and you have to wait on the train and ride with people you don’t even like, you can’t smoke no not even weed, can’t drink, well maybe they will sell beer, you can’t stop and stretch your legs. Sounds like another another Asian troll ride.
Being green is just as bad as being oil dependent and will cost more or they would leave it alone.
They should have a train car(s) for cars on this train, allow people to sit in the car during the trip. They do this successfully in Europe.
Build it and they will come. “This high-speed train would take 12 1/2 hours from NYC to LA, instead of 5 hours by plane.” - True but ex. from Madrid to Copenhagen is half that distance and you would fly not take a train.
Just Stumbled across this and wanted to add that I just heard the other day that Union Pacific won’t offer their right-of-way for this project because it’s too dangerous. California can either acquire it thru imminent domain and lease it back to them or…..just give up on the project which is probably what’s going to happen.
Sorry to rain on your parade. I, personally, think we’re waaaaay behind the rest of the world when it comes to mass transit.
I’d take that train over Virgin America or Southwest any day. Hopefully they can make the accommodations as nice as the Amtraks on the East Coast.
onion, probably the same thing that happens to the other railways in California. Amtrak, etc. The lobbyists for airlines don’t need to crush a nationwide network. It’s not feasible. West of the Mississippi River, the country is not densely populated enough to justify the expense of a network of high speed trains traversing the extremely rugged terrain of this fine nation. However, from Seattle to Portland to SF to LA to SD probably makes a great deal of sense if the costs can be kept reasonable.
Koowan - you are an idiot. The cost to build one mile of new highway far exceeds the cost of rail. Once a a road is built the state (county, city) gets nothing in return. High speed rail costs a fraction of what it cost to build a road and it returns money in the form of faires. This is a no-brainer. Get a clue.