Comments on: November 2008 Election: Yes on Proposition 1A (High-Speed Rail)

By: November 2008 Election: Results and Reflections « Transbay Blog

November 2008 Election: Results and Reflections « Transbay Blog — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:49:08 +0000

[...] to be sure. Like so many others around California, I beamed at the passage of the $9.95 billion high-speed rail bond measure (Prop 1A), but then recoiled at the passage of Prop 8, which cast a lingering gloom on what was an [...]

By: Ben Pease

Ben Pease — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 03:42:48 +0000

Hmm. Graceful train, graceful curve, then thunk, the column is right at the edge of the platform! What’s the selling point for a soaring roof if the platform is an obstacle course? I’ll vote for 1A if someone will fix the rendering. (Yes, I know, it’s only a rendering; let’s pass the measure first).

Reminds me of a couple MBTA stations in Boston, built in the 19th century and dressed up with ceramic panels in the 1980s (which only served to make the old steel columns even fatter, a la Powell Street Station columns in SF, except these were right up against the edge of the platform).

By: Tommy

Tommy — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:42:37 +0000

Absentee’d my vote…YES on 1A

By: john

john — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:04:24 +0000

Yeah but we have to pass Prop 1a first or the whole project might die on the vine

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:17:38 +0000

I’m all for bringing the California rail system into the late 20th century (we are SO behind other countries). My main concern is in the Central Valley where sprawl is out of control. Communities in this area should be forced to re-think development that is pro-density and substainability otherwise forfeit having a HSR station stop in their town. This includes cities and towns within a certain radius of a proposed HSR station.

I can’t remember where I was reading it, but it’s true that HSR is not just a change of how we travel, it’s a change of how we live.

Now if we can only get MUNI on track…

By: Vote Yes On Prop 1A - High Speed Rail « Burrito Justice

Vote Yes On Prop 1A - High Speed Rail « Burrito Justice — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 06:10:45 +0000

[...] Some good analysis over at the Transbay Blog: [...]

By: JimS

JimS — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:40:56 +0000

What I’d like to see happen here is the integration of the high speed network into the air transport system, rather than have it separate and parallel. i.e. what we’re starting to see happen in Europe — you book your travel in one go, the train goes directly into the airport terminal, and your train ticket’s a codeshare, checked baggage and all.

Yeah you’d still have to go through security at the airport, but your baggage would’ve been checked back in Gilroy or Fresno or wherever you came from, without you having to haul it yourself.

Gilroy -> Tokyo on one booking. That would be nice.

SFO and SJC might not be doable with current plans that use existing alignment and rely on other transit to get to the airport (future people mover at SJC and BART at SFO), but you could definitely build into SMF since no transit there exists at the moment, and they need it badly anyway, and ONT would probably welcome the connectivity to boost that airport’s waning popularity.

By: thamsenman

thamsenman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:29:22 +0000

Wow. That isn’t being extremely optimistic?

With BART to San Jose and Central Subway slated for 2016, this project seems to be much more ambitious and quick.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:02:06 +0000

thamsenman: the completion date is supposedly to be in 2018, with construction occupying roughly the second half of the decade between now and then.

By: thamsenman

thamsenman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:02:13 +0000

Eric,

Do you know if there is a timeline available for this project?

When does construction start and when does it become operational?