Spend money on BART, not high-speed rail

[DET63]

MANY OF the decisions that must be made when government budgets are cut can be painful, but there are some that are easy and obvious. One of the latter is the move by Congress to slash spending on California's high-speed rail project.
Republicans in Congress, even those from this state, rightly view high-speed rail as an easy target. The proposed $2.5 billion for all U.S. high-speed rail spending has been reduced to $1 billion and could eventually drop to zero.

. . .

Unfortunately, another possible victim of the funding cuts is the BART extension from Fremont into northern San Jose. If rail funds are to be reduced, it would make more sense to end all federal funding for California's high-speed rail and preserve funding for BART to San Jose, a project that would boost transit ridership and ease traffic on the clogged highways from the East Bay into San Jose.

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[DET63]

Comment in response:

Daniel Levy · Carleton

heck, don't even spend it on BART. spend it on getting more bus service back on the streets! that would go farther than anything.

 

[johnny.menhennet]

Comment in response:

Daniel Levy · Carleton

heck, don't even spend it on BART. spend it on getting more bus service back on the streets! that would go farther than anything.

i think if being spent in the bay area, they should electrify the Caltrain line up to San Jose Diridon and extend service over Dumbarton from Redwood City to Union City, Fremont and Newark.... any Caltrain service south of San Jose is a 100% money loser, and that should be eliminated.

 

[George Harris]

caltrain electrification only makes sense in the context of adding the HSR trains.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

caltrain electrification only makes sense in the context of adding the HSR trains.

You mean electrification of the peninsula line makes sense in the context of HSR. Electrification of CalTrain makes no sense whatsoever, and they should continue running their diesel trains through the end of their useful life. Like NJTransit, they want a Rolls-Royce in the garage, even if it means they have no money to put gas in the tank.

 

[George Harris]

GML: I have read the analysis on the electrification. The benefit to cost ratio of the Caltrain electrification is less than 1. Due to line losses in the tranmission system, the net energy consumption will increase. Right now they are talking about reducing service due to lack of funds even though they have an ongoing program of grade crossing signal improvements and are in the midst of the San Bruno grade seperation project, a project that keeps and nails down more thoroughly one of the slowest curves on the line. It is a logic free zone.

 

[mfastx]

Everyone wants a piece of the pie.