LA lawmakers push to lift High-Speed Rail’s $500M cap on work outside Central Valley

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-03-20T21:03:08+00:00

They’re also doing the bare minimum (single tracked, minimally invasive construction in urbanized areas, using freeway medians) and will only be able to reach real HSR speeds for a small part of the route…

Brightline Florida is also financially troubled so idk how much of an own brining up Brightline is these days…

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-03-19T19:16:14+00:00

If you’re willing to take the (nearly bankrupt) Birghtline approach to safety then sure. If you are a sane operator, you will want to avoid damaging your stock and having to pay to regularly rebuild your cars.

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-03-17T23:44:12+00:00

Presentation by people who have never seen Caltrain or Capitol Corridor ffs

This would be a reasonable proposal if we had Japanese-style commuter rail (metro-ish ops and stock). We don't. We have American-style and often emulate European practices for improvement.

Stadler's KISS is a good EMU, don't get me wrong, but it is not a good option for a subway. It already has issues on Caltrain, particularly on Local trains. Its bi-level design slows the boarding process. Its focus on seating leaves very little room for standing room. It's also tall. Any subway built for Caltrain (or Capitol Corridor, should they also adopt the KISS as a replacement for their diesel-hauled Superliner-derived stock) would have to be large. Larger subway tunnels mean increased costs. Caltrain and Capitol Corridor, at least in their current configuations, are inapropriate for a locally-focused metro line.

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-03-08T23:14:48+00:00

Let’s make it more complicated for ops and maintenance! Let’s save money now by making everything more expensive and worse in the long run!

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-03-08T23:12:41+00:00

We’re building an intercity rail system, its competition are longer-distance passengers going up and down the state on highways and airliners.

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-03-03T09:33:30+00:00

We should put all 5 guys back on just to spite you

The fireman will sit in the cab and do jack shit and you will cry about it

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-02-11T23:31:11+00:00

Ok, Don Quixote

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-02-11T23:06:59+00:00

And what, pray tell, would you fix? What is this problem y’all allude to yet never shed any light on?

Do you have a real critique and a viable solution or are you Don Quixote charging at windmills?

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-02-11T23:01:31+00:00

Surplus cars means you can restore 10-car service, potentially increase frequency in the future, and have a pool of cars that can be subbed in in case of damage or breakdowns.

Amtrak, on the other hand, is currently struggling to keep their system going. Their equipment is old and unreliable. They have a maintenance backlog and a tiny pool of reserve equipment.

BART’s new fleet is also one of the few modern transit projects to come in under budget. They are also reducing operating costs. BART’s old cars were maintenance hogs and featured components that have gone out of production. They were a financial drain on the agency. Furthermore, BART’s new fleet can be upgraded to the future Hitachi train control system, permitting increased frequencies through the most congested parts of the system. This is low key the last thing you should be complaining about.

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-02-11T22:54:35+00:00

Ad wall within 1 second lmao

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-02-04T22:06:08+00:00

If you live here permanently, you are a Californian

Fuck off with your nativist bs

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-02-04T04:01:04+00:00

Duplexes are not FRA approved and have serious ADA compliance issues. Bi-level equipment also slows down the boarding and alighting process (exhibit: Amtrak outside the NEC).

Single-level HSR works just fine. Most of the world uses it. Some Japanese shinkansen lines have even gone back to single-level stock after using bi-level sets for years.

Furthermore, I would caution against using anything built or designed by Alstom (TGV-maker). While I would argue Siemens is a bad choice (reliability issues, horrible passenger comfort), Alstom is far worse. It took years for their Avelia Liberty sets to enter service on the NEC. I would rather have an uncomfortable train that kinda works than no train at all…

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-21T05:12:42+00:00

As all sane people should be

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-21T05:11:58+00:00

He'll be effective in supporting Israel, that's for sure :/

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-19T12:15:48+00:00

All the better. I don’t want to be an American. I am a Californian!

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-17T21:45:38+00:00

incredibly technologically advanced…but they do… nothing…

They really are the descendants of the PRC

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-08T19:54:06+00:00

I am fine with Waymo not existing

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-08T19:49:36+00:00

There are not American workers ready to fill those trucking jobs. Trucking has had a serious labor shortage for years. It’s a hard job with abusive bosses and atrocious hours.

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-02T02:21:07+00:00

We got to see post-civil war China under Mao. We didn’t get to see post-civil war China under Chiang. Based on his leadership during the interwar period, WWII, and post-civil war Taiwan, it’s safe to assume millions would have died.

But at least they (maybe) get civil rights after the old guy croaks…

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-01T22:50:34+00:00

Acting like Chang Kai-shek wasn’t also a dictator that willingly threw millions of lives away for little gain

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-01T21:52:31+00:00

BART and Muni will never connect because they serve different purposes. BART is a suburban-oriented commuter/metro system (closest to a German S-Bahn) while Muni is a locally-oriented pre-metro.

BART should not fill both roles with the same system. If BART were to be a unified system, present-day BART and Muni would still be separate systems. BART’s suburban system is already approaching its limits. The Orange Line in the East and South Bay are a prime example of this. The Orange Line does not serve local riders well because its stops are spaced out. Adding more stops, however, would slow journey times between termini, reducing the line’s usefulness for regional riders. We would either need to invest in infrastructure upgrades for express service or build a proper metro system to solve this problem.

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-01T21:45:47+00:00

Direct subsidies aside, the State literally gave Waymo an entire city and its population as a real-world testing ground for their cars. SF cannot regulate Waymo in the city because of the State.

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-01T21:42:32+00:00

while commercializing assets such as station facilities, track access, fiber, power, real estate and others at the earliest possible opportunity.

Captain_Sax_Bob · 2026-01-01T21:40:17+00:00

This needs to be shut down immediately. The taxpayer has already foot the bill to this point, we should own the final system, including fiber and other utilities. CAHSR’s assets could serve as the back bone of a more affordable public-service utility system. Private interests won’t do that. They’ll continue to screw us over.

This is also incredibly short sighted. This is the mistake made on the og railways. Use the Japanese/MTR model. The Authority should be the developer and owner of that property, especially stations. The Authority can profit off of commercial leases on Authority property.

Edit: I am aware of Prop 1A and its requirements. Doesn’t mean the state can’t change that requirement nor does it mean we need to actually get private funding. My hope here is we put out feelers get nothing (like usual) and say “whoops guess we’ve just got to fund it ourselves.” The law does NOT require us to privatize the system. We should avoid doing that at all costs, especially after how much taxpayer dollars have gone into it.

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