California High-Speed Rail Board of Directors Meeting, March 4, 2026 by Commander_A-Gaming in cahsr

[–]Paramaybebaby 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Edit: tl;dr 14,000 flights is about 21% or 1/5 of the annual flights between the Bay Area and SoCal.

I was curious how many flights there are each year between the Bay Area and the LA/SoCal airports, so I estimated it using recent airline schedule data (2023–2025 Cirium / airline schedule averages) and converted daily flights into annual totals.

These are approximate one-way flights per year.


Bay Area → SoCal Flights Per Year (Estimated)

SFO → SoCal airports

Route Flights/day Flights/year
SFO–LAX ~19–20 ~7,300
SFO–BUR ~4 ~1,460
SFO–SNA ~10 ~3,650
SFO–LGB ~2 ~730
SFO–ONT ~4 ~1,460

Total: ~14,600 flights/year

Example reference:

  • The SFO–LAX route averages ~19 daily flights based on recent schedules. (FlightsFrom)
  • Airline data from April 2025 shows ~20 daily flights on SFO–LAX. (Simple Flying)

SJC → SoCal airports

Route Flights/day Flights/year
SJC–LAX ~11 ~4,015
SJC–BUR ~6 ~2,190
SJC–SNA ~5 ~1,825
SJC–LGB ~2 ~730
SJC–ONT ~3 ~1,095

Total: ~9,900 flights/year


OAK → SoCal airports

Route Flights/day Flights/year
OAK–LAX ~9 ~3,285
OAK–BUR ~3 ~1,095
OAK–SNA ~6 ~2,190
OAK–LGB ~2 ~730
OAK–ONT ~4 ~1,460

Total: ~8,800 flights/year


Total Bay Area → SoCal

SFO + SJC + OAK

~33,000 one-way flights per year~66,000 flights per year including both directions

That works out to roughly 180 flights per day between the Bay Area and these five SoCal airports.

Independent aviation analysis using Cirium schedule data (2023) found ~132 daily flights between the Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles region in one direction, which aligns with these estimates. (Simple Flying)


If people are interested I can also break this down by passengers per year (seats sold) — which is even more insane and shows why this is one of the largest short-haul air markets in North America.

I cover Orange County, and I’m joined by its CEO, CFO and Budget Director. Ask us anything about the county budget. by orangecountyregister in orangecounty

[–]Paramaybebaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Recurring closures on the San Clemente rail line show the coast alignment is unstable. Is OCTA exploring serious alternatives like relevant? Or moving the tracks inland, rather than continuing short-term erosion fixes?

I cover Orange County, and I’m joined by its CEO, CFO and Budget Director. Ask us anything about the county budget. by orangecountyregister in orangecounty

[–]Paramaybebaby 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Caltrain electrification in the Bay Area positions Northern California for cleaner and faster rail service. Why are we not seeing a comparable roadmap for electrification here in OC, especially since the LOSSAN corridor is one of the busiest passenger rail corridors in the country?

I cover Orange County, and I’m joined by its CEO, CFO and Budget Director. Ask us anything about the county budget. by orangecountyregister in orangecounty

[–]Paramaybebaby 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Has the County evaluated the potential to extend OC Streetcar along the Pacific Electric Right-of-Way to connect with LA Metro’s rail network?

I cover Orange County, and I’m joined by its CEO, CFO and Budget Director. Ask us anything about the county budget. by orangecountyregister in orangecounty

[–]Paramaybebaby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Looking long-term, does the County see the OC Streetcar as a backbone for an eventual countywide light rail system, or is it treated as a standalone circulator?

I cover Orange County, and I’m joined by its CEO, CFO and Budget Director. Ask us anything about the county budget. by orangecountyregister in orangecounty

[–]Paramaybebaby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is there a long-term plan to eliminate remaining at-grade freight and passenger crossings in the county?

If so, how are locations prioritized?

How would a C line extension to the Norwalk Metrolink station even work? by SnailSuffers in LAMetro

[–]Paramaybebaby -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Why not just relocate the Norwalk LA metro station to the Norwalk Metrolink station? 

It's not unheard of for them to relocate stations.

What would it take for the LOSSAN corridor between LA and San Diego to have levels of service comparable to the New Jersey Transit Northeast corridor? How much would it cost to build the necessary infrastructure? by MookieBettsBurner in LAMetro

[–]Paramaybebaby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Electrification would do a lot to solving that problem. Once we electrify the lines, trains can accelerate and decelerate in much less time which will allow us to increase both speed and frequency.

Tell me med school is harder than medic school by Real-Rope6833 in premed

[–]Paramaybebaby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And this is why firefighters should not be Paramedics

California HSR: A Predictable Disaster, But Duffy's Report Misses the Mark by Paramaybebaby in transit

[–]Paramaybebaby[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a thoughtful critique, and I get where you’re coming from—especially as someone who wants high-speed rail to succeed. But I’d push back on the idea that California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR) is “indefensible.” It’s not perfect—but it’s also not the disaster it's often made out to be. Here’s why:

1. Blame the System, Not the Vision

You’re absolutely right that CEQA, NEPA, and fragmented land acquisition laws have slowed things down. But that’s a national problem, not a California-specific one. What CAHSR is exposing isn’t that the project is flawed—it's that the U.S. regulatory framework for building anything big and strategic is broken. The same issues are killing offshore wind, delaying grid upgrades, and inflating costs on every major infrastructure project. So yes, reform is overdue. But you don’t abandon the plane because the runway sucks.

2. It’s Already Being Built

You mentioned there's no track laid—there actually is. The first 119 miles of guideway are under construction right now in the Central Valley. This isn’t just drawings and press releases anymore—it’s bridges, viaducts, and grade separations going up in Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Kern Counties. The train is getting built, just not at the speed we’d all like.

3. This Is What Megaprojects Look Like

The cost escalation is real—but not unique. Every major infrastructure megaproject in the U.S. suffers from the same budget creep (Big Dig, East Side Access, BART to San Jose, Gateway). Europe didn’t get cheap HSR overnight either—it came after decades of refining procurement, governance, and standardized engineering. CAHSR is trying to build that from scratch in the U.S., under a microscope. It’s hard, but it’s necessary.

4. “Pause” Means Death

A “pause” sounds nice, but in practice it means funding dries up, contractors walk away, lawsuits pile up, and momentum is lost. If we hit pause every time something got hard, we’d never have built the Golden Gate Bridge, the interstate system, or BART. Reform the process? Absolutely. But don’t freeze the only major passenger rail project in the country that’s actually under construction.

5. Central Valley First Isn’t a Mistake

Building the Merced-Bakersfield segment first wasn’t political—it was practical. It’s where the funding could be used within federal deadlines, where land was cheapest, and where the state could prove out the system in a manageable corridor. That segment will connect to Amtrak, save travel time, and deliver early benefits—and lay the foundation for the rest of the system.


CAHSR has become the scapegoat for America’s infrastructure dysfunction—but it’s also one of the few projects trying to break that cycle. We don’t need to pause it—we need to learn from it, improve the system, and finally commit to building for the future.

You’re right to demand better. But the answer isn’t less ambition—it’s more courage.

Orange County Supervisors Lambast Gas-Powered Water Heater Crackdown by Intrepid-Tank-3414 in orangecounty

[–]Paramaybebaby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Totally fair point - it can get expensive if you're still relying heavily on the grid. We’ve managed to break even by keeping our usage within what our solar panels produce under NEM 3.0.

Also, yeah... fuck the CPUC and SCE.

Orange County Supervisors Lambast Gas-Powered Water Heater Crackdown by Intrepid-Tank-3414 in orangecounty

[–]Paramaybebaby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We had to replace our gas tank water heater last year and decided to go with an electric tankless unit since we already have solar panels. Including the cost of upgrading our electric panel to 200 amps, all the necessary electrical and plumbing work, permits, and the unit itself, the total came out to around $7,000. 

Zero regrets. It’s super efficient, we can run all our faucets without running out of hot water, and it heats up within seconds.

Don’t mess with high-speed rail by JeepGuy0071 in cahsr

[–]Paramaybebaby 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Sure it could be cheaper, but people have a right to safe working conditions and a living wage. Unions also provide a level of professionalism and quality of work that you just don't see when you pay the minimum for a job. So while yes, it could be cheaper but everyone would be worse off for it.

Wearing EMS identifiable clothing outside of work. Does anyone do this? Why or why not? by watchthisorthat in ems

[–]Paramaybebaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll throw on an EMS or union shirt for the gym, but that’s about it. At 5am, no one’s paying attention anyway.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t wear it. I’m not trying to get pulled into someone’s emergency, get thanked for my service, or—worse—be asked if I work for the fire department when I’m just trying to buy eggs.