No Funds for Phase II of High Speed Rail in Gov. Brown's Budget (Los Angeles: transfer, construction)

[18Montclair]

Harsh. LOL.

The prospects for California's 800 mile High-Speed Rail system took another hit yesterday with the announcement that Governor Jerry Brown's latest budget proposal has no funds designated for Phase II of the project. As a result, progress on the $45 billion dollar project may come to a pre-mature halt...

Although the budget provides $192 million for environmental and pre-construction tasks for the Los Angeles/Anaheim to San Francisco route (Phase I), no monies were designated for the environmental work for the Los Angeles to San Diego nor the Merced-Sacramento & Altamont Corridors (Phase II). Without this funding, the California High-Speed Rail Authority would have to stop all environmental review and outreach activities for the latter phase.


Continue reading on Examiner.com: No funds for Phase II of High-Speed Rail in Gov. Brown's budget - Bakersfield Environmental News | Examiner.com No funds for Phase II of High-Speed Rail in Gov. Brown's budget - Bakersfield Environmental News | Examiner.com

[sav858]

"no monies were designated for the environmental work for the Los Angeles to San Diego"

Considering this is the busiest passenger rail corridor in CA and one of the busiest in the nation, seems pretty backwards to not provide funding for it over other ones. If they're not gonna building the whole system or delay it, this is probably the one area you would want to build the first and foremost.

[Majin]

Good.

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by sav858

"no monies were designated for the environmental work for the Los Angeles to San Diego"

Considering this is the busiest passenger rail corridor in CA and one of the busiest in the nation, seems pretty backwards to not provide funding for it over other ones. If they're not gonna building the whole system or delay it, this is probably the one area you would want to build the first and foremost.

Amtrak's route thru the San Joaquin Valley is also one of the nation's busiest, it is the 5th busiest route in the US.
Calif. Amtrak ridership rising on state trains - SFGate

As long as the $3 billion in ARRA job stimulus money designated to build the San Joaquin Valley section stays here for creating jobs thru other SJV projects (rail or non-rail) then you can have at LA-SD. But hands off our job money.

[SDNative70]

There was never a plan to extend it to San Diego anyway. Never any money there for it, they just needed the votes. Ignorant voters who didn't see through the smoke and mirrors voted for it. $43 billion is LA to San Fran only. Its another $20 billion to add Sacramento, San Diego and Anaheim.

But hey, it'll make money! LOL

This thing won't even break even.

[SDNative70]

Originally Posted by FresnoFacts

Amtrak's route thru the San Joaquin Valley is also one of the nation's busiest, it is the 5th busiest route in the US.
Calif. Amtrak ridership rising on state trains - SFGate

As long as the $3 billion in ARRA job stimulus money designated to build the San Joaquin Valley section stays here for creating jobs thru other SJV projects (rail or non-rail) then you can have at LA-SD. But hands off our job money.

Its a distant fifth and HSR is projecting 10 times the riders in that corridor. That's Fantasyland forecasting that will NEVER materialize.

[Majin]

Originally Posted by SDNative70

There was never a plan to extend it to San Diego anyway. Never any money there for it, they just needed the votes. Ignorant voters who didn't see through the smoke and mirrors voted for it. $43 billion is LA to San Fran only. Its another $20 billion to add Sacramento, San Diego and Anaheim.

But hey, it'll make money! LOL

This thing won't even break even.

Yup, HSR is a scam. The entire state will pay for it but only benefit 2 cities. The Sacramento and San Diego section will NEVER get built and they know it, **** that.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Kill it now. Cut the losses. Chalk it up to naive mass stupidity.

Focus on urban and suburban rail and rural bus services.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Multi billion dollar choo-choo to nowhere. Gotta love government.

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by SDNative70

Its a distant fifth and HSR is projecting 10 times the riders in that corridor. That's Fantasyland forecasting that will NEVER materialize.

The state is now spending billions of dollars in the San Joaquin Valley for transportation, be it freeways or rail. That is the reality.

Not building HSR does not change the expenditure on transportation to/from and thru the Valley, it simply transfers the money to building more freeways in the Valley.

Currently CalTrans is spending over $5 billion in a multiphase project upgrading all sections of highway 99 to 6 or more freeway lanes. It could go billions higher depending upon decisions made about capacity and standards needed on the sections not rebuilt yet.

Then CalTrans is planning for a 3rd north/south freeway thru the San Joaquin Valley along the eastern edge, extending from Bakersfield to Sacramento, recent work such as the Lincoln Bypass near Sacramento is part of that project. They want to build another 200 miles to complete 4-6 lane Freeway 65, again at a cost of billions of dollars more. Building HSR would likely make Freeway 65 unneeded.

Opposing HSR means people also need to realize the state will still be spending similiar amounts of money on long-distance transportation in the San Joaquin Valley. One way or another, billions in state and federal transportation money will be spent here, the only question is how it will be used.