Bullet train? Yes or no? (Burbank, Santa Monica: buy, farm, ticket)

[oceangaia]

Originally Posted by ketch89

Built form has nothing to do with the figures I posted. Those numbers are MODE CHOICE. They were traveling mostly by road and air before HSR, and most chose HSR after it was introduced. Even if you want to argue that "we're different," a 50% reduction from those figures for mode share would still be huge numbers.

I doubt you'll live long enough to ever find out unless the 89 is the year of your birth.

[ketch89]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Unlikely to occur and if the project is even finished, it will be your grand kids riding it. How many people actually ride any train in CA now compared to a car? The current lines carry some, but nor the vast majority as they cannot bring everyone to near their work. Some yes, but the money loss in the public transportation area shows a better solution needs to be found, not a repeat of what costs and costs and does little.


The least was 16% and the highest was 40%. Nothing like that exists in CA now nor will ever likely do so. Too spread out.

People make rational decisions about transportation. If HSR travel is easier and cheaper (which we know it will be), people will choose rail. We might take an uber or lyft instead of a tram to our final destination, but people won't choose the hassle of the TSA, weather delays, lack of internet/phone, arriving at a disgusting airport instead of a vibrant, entertaining downtown full of attractions.

[ysr_racer]

Originally Posted by ketch89

instead of a vibrant, entertaining downtown full of attractions.

In Fresno?

[ketch89]

Originally Posted by ysr_racer

In Fresno?

People in the Central Valley will choose rail based on price alone. It's much more expensive to fly from those small markets.

[ysr_racer]

Originally Posted by ketch89

People in the Central Valley will choose rail based on price alone. It's much more expensive to fly from those small markets.

Who died and made you their king?

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by ketch89

People make rational decisions about transportation. If HSR travel is easier and cheaper (which we know it will be), people will choose rail. We might take an uber or lyft instead of a tram to our final destination, but people won't choose the hassle of the TSA, weather delays, lack of internet/phone, arriving at a disgusting airport instead of a vibrant, entertaining downtown full of attractions.

What makes you think it will be cheap? Remember it is unlikely to make enough to pay even its yearly costs , so taxes will go up somewhere to pay the difference. That of course will happen with any bonds involved. Yep YOU will pay and virtually everyone in the State will pay.


As to air costs, I never said it was better. I said the State needs to look for a new and better solution, not an old out dated one that does not help the vast majority of the people. It will not, for example, reduce traffic in SoCal at all.

[ketch89]

Roads are heavily subsidized, too. The most popular HSR routes are profitable. Solutions to climate change like HSR should be subsidized. Polluting modes like air and road should be taxed.

[LuvSouthOC]

At this point, this train is completely ancient technology and a terrible waste of money.

[oceangaia]

Originally Posted by ketch89

Roads are heavily subsidized, too. The most popular HSR routes are profitable. Solutions to climate change like HSR should be subsidized. Polluting modes like air and road should be taxed.

A subsidy is when the many support the few. Everyone makes use of the roads. Everyone can't subsidize everyone. We all pay for the roads we all use in various ways. That's cost allocation not subsidization.

[ketch89]

No one knows if hyperloop will ever work. HSR is a proven technology.