[ericmcer]

A high speed rail enabling people to commute to SF/LA from 100+ miles away in under an hour would immediately relieve a huge amount of housing issues while creating tons of jobs in low income areas. The whole central valley would become a valid place for people to commute from.

Too bad we are incapable of building one.

[zamnos]

https://buildhsr.com/ is tracking the progress (ie, we are capable, if slow). First up, Bakersfield to Fresno.

[labster]

What a stupid section to start on. They should have done LA-Anaheim-San Diego or SF-San José or Sac-Stockton and started making money on shorter routes. Instead, they’re building a longer stretch between less populated and less wealthy cities.

[dragonwriter]

> Instead, they’re building a longer stretch between less populated and less wealthy cities.

Environmental clearance was known to be quicker there, which met the priority for shovel-ready projects in federal funding being distributed as part of the 2009 stimulus, and the fact that it was in a more economically precarious part of the state was also in line with the funding concerns. It didn’t hurt with the state or federal politics of funding that that was in a more Republican area of the state, either. At the same time, the Bay Area and LA basin were getting a lot of the initial investment for “bookend” projects to improve existing transit systems both for the independent value that produces and as eventual HSR feeder systems.

Sac to Stockton was never even part of the Phase I plan anyway, but part of the distant idea of a Phase II extension after the SF-LA run was complete that would add Sacramento and San Diego.

[ac29]

SF to San Jose is almost completely electrified now with support for HSR and electric Caltrain. Electrified Caltrain testing starts this year with the new service opening to the public in 2024.

The new Caltrain service should be faster and more reliable, so even if HSR is never completed, the Bay Area will get a nice upgrade in its regional rail system.

[zamnos]

On the other hand, because it's the less populated and poorer cities, mistakes (which are going to happen) will be cheaper to fix. This translates to not making those mistakes on the more expensive parts of the project.

[antupis]

yup it would be logical thing to build so no way California will do that.