California high speed rail update

Funding: the cost is still the originally projected $70 billion. Half would be paid by California, the other half the federal government through the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement act (PRIIA) of 2008. California has already accepted $10 billion through this, the money being from the cancelled HSR projects in Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin. When Prop 1A passed, it only did so with a 55% majority and not the 66.8% required for a tax increase (pursuit to 1978 Prop 13). As a result, Governor Jerry Brown moved to try and net HSR money through the state's carbon tax/carbon credit auction but it has mostly failed. It's likely he will strike a deal with Central Valley Republicans (who want fracking unbanned in CA) to get the votes for funding.

(side note: Florida HSR was revived as a private project between realtors and FEC RR, which will open next year)

On another note, Caltrans' existing fleet modernization will use Siemens Charger locomotives made in Sacramento and Nippon-Shayro bilevels made in Rochelle, Illinois.

The procurement (known as the "Next Generation Equipment Pool") was done under the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Section 503 Committee which is led by California and Illinois. Locomotive procurement went flawlessly and deliveries have already begun. However, railcar delivery has been pushed back two years as N-S's prototype car failed an FRA compression test. Specifically, the FRA requires all passenger cars to withstand forces of 800,000 lbs as of 2015, up from the 785,000 lbs from the previous year. N-S's car withstood 790,000 lbs of force, causing it to fail. The redesigned car will take 24 months to do.

This is somewhat of an issue as PRIIA money for fleet modernization runs out on Jan 1st. Whether or not Congress reauthorizes funding is up to them.

http://www.highspeed-rail.org/Documents/NGEC%20305_Presentation_Multi%20State_21616-update.pdf

http://www.highspeed-rail.org/Documents/305%20Exec/2015%20NGEC%20Backgrounder.pdf

http://www.highspeed-rail.org/pages/section305committee.aspx

In the meantime the LOSSAN ( Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor) rail agency bought two Talgo trainsets for their Surfliner service. The trainsets were originally made for Wisconsin's HSR project between Milwakuee and Madison, but in 2013 Governor Scott Walker nixed the plan and returned the cars (WIDOT lost the lawsuit levied against them the same year to the tune of $10 million dollars).

http://stopandmove.blogspot.com/2016/08/amtrak-california-gets-new-funding.html

Note: the Talgo trainsets are technically not FRA compliant, only the end car and front locomotive (likely a new Charger) will be. This is one of the exceptions to the FRA's crash standards, which DOTs can buy their way into. This is also what the aforementioned Brightline did, all their trains will be "double ended" with a locomotive on each end (this also means faster acceleration and braking). It's also worth mentioning that another way around the FRA rule, the installation of computerized signalling (otherwise known as Precision Train Control or PTC), which Brightline did as well. Prop 1A also requires statewide PTC, but implementation of this will be slow as the private railroads that own most of the tracks in CA (Omaha based UPRR and Fort Worth based BNSF) aren't hot for it.

America has the worst rail system if compared to europe

>>73058
American rail systems are really only for transporting goods, not people

If this were done in the 1800s, they would solve all of their political problems with bribes, backroom deals, shady accounting, etc., which is how the Transcontinental Railroad was built. Say what you want about the jaw-dropping corruption, but they got the whole thing built in less than a decade and without modern technology (an untold number of immigrants died building it, though).

>>72790

>Hey, we know you're in the middle of a 5 year drought, farmers are going out of buisness, and we're dumping all that irrigation water into the ocean, but here's a new high speed railway paid for by $35 billlion in your taxes! That'll make it better!

>>73103
Californians voted for this shit, brah. I voted against it, but JUST enough people wanted it, so now we're stuck with it, I guess. I have a feeling it'll get shut down before completion, but maybe that's wishful thinking

>>73114
>I have a feeling it'll get shut down before completion, but maybe that's wishful thinking

That would almost certainly just end up with majority of the money going down the drain with nothing to show for it.

>>73058
America has much lower density compared to Europe.

>>73103

the only people getting fucked by the drought are the farmers, people who made california spic by importing them and who will make a huge killing turning their property into tract housing

let'em burn

>>73114

Too late for that. The only issue is tunneling under the San Gabriel Mountains to Burbank. But this issue can likely be hammered out as LA will pass Measure M this year.

>>73118
Which is exactly what I expect. Not the first time California's government proposes funding a big project that turns out to be politicians' wallets.

>>73736
I don't know if I want you to be right or wrong. Even if they finish this, it will surely be so expensive to ride that the only possible users end up being people who can afford to fly anyways.

>>72790
The Wetback Express.

While everyone had their panties in a twist over Prop 8, I was telling people to vote No on this shit specifically because there was no timetable, no accountability, and no solid plan on how to construct the goddam thing. It's the second-most retarded thing the state of California has funded, next to the new Kings arena.

>>73118
Like, every SF<->LA rail project we have had two or three times every decade, none of which have come to pass?

Brown started this shit the last time he was in office in '66, there's been dozens since, none of them has ever gone anywhere - it's just a scam and a money pit.

>Californians keep moving en masse to my state

God damnit

>>72790
>8 years
>Not one piece of track was laid.
Just fuck my shit up, fam.

>>73682
America also has the BigAuto lobby

Voted yes because I don't pay taxes anyways and I want a fucking functioning transportation system.

Driving sucks big fat donkey balls. Just too many cars in the bay area now.

>>76688
I'm not against trains but at a certain distance planes make more sense.

>>72795
>it will cost less to go to mars than build a set of train tracks

>>76703
SF-LA is the perfect distance for trains

I haven't completely researched all the details but, all I really care about is if it could easily get me from Victorville (where I live) to San Diego for when I want to spend a saturday with my sister. This isn't looking to be the case so far (someone please prove me wrong because I am all for a fast & easy transport to San Diego) so fuck that shit.

>>76963
looks like you'll need to drive 45 minutes before you get to shoot off and fuck your sister, anon.

>>76932
Tfw not actually out of the question

How much did it cost to send James Cameron or whatever director to the bottom of the ocean?

>>76966
All I know is that Lex Luthor I mean Elon Musk has declared it's going to cost him $10 billion in r&d or something. There's a thread on it up right now.

>>76969
> only 10

Musk is a charlatan and a meme

Flying within California on a regular basis is a such a fucking pain. Why doesn't this place have a modern railway system like yurop or east Asia?

>>77791
The average American is retarded.