Last week, the California High-Speed Rail Authority
recommended that the initial leg run from San Jose to Bakersfield, with a
target of 2025. For once, logic
prevailed, given the economic benefits of closer ties between the Central
Valley and the coast. Of course, there
are those who still call the whole thing a boondoggle, but they’ve yet to
propose a viable alternative to packed highways and airports, Hyperloop
fantasies included.
Having spent over a decade in Germany, I remember the
construction of the InterCity Express, or ICE, and in fact, for over two years
it was my primary commute between Mannheim and Stuttgart. Over a ten-year period beginning at the end
of the 1980s, high-speed rail extended throughout Germany, in the same way that
the TGV did so in France a decade earlier, and Italy and Spain a decade later.
Europe High-Speed Rail
Given what is possible, I really don’t understand why a
single line within California takes just as long, with the full system
connecting Sacramento with Los Angeles an additional decade. Closer to home, Caltrain should see
electrification by 2020, and as someone who deals with the crush on a daily
basis, it should bring some relief. If
not for me, then at least the next generation will have an easier commute.
The Bright Future of BART
Caltrain Today
No comments:
Post a Comment