tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post3568635129041300312..comments2023-10-30T09:03:07.163-07:00Comments on California High Speed Rail Blog: Mountain View Won't Join Peninsula CoalitionRobert Cruickshankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06906581839066570472noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-8417751360041666822009-06-24T22:51:11.060-07:002009-06-24T22:51:11.060-07:00I have see little regarding the landmark tree &quo...I have see little regarding the landmark tree "El Palo Alto" on the boundry between Menlo Park and Palo Alto.<br /><br />It is likely that the project could kill the tree perhaps with benign neglect.<br /><br />If you have not visited the same tree that the Spanish explorers used as a landmark do so. Take a friend, take a child soon as it may be dead in no time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-4740456544551821742009-06-14T17:38:31.178-07:002009-06-14T17:38:31.178-07:00If the FRA wants to prevent the derailment that ha...<em>If the FRA wants to prevent the derailment that happened in Germany all they have to do is make sure not to use the same wheel design that caused it</em>.<br /><br />And if the passenger who saw a big chunk of metal come up through his compartment had taken the initiative to pull the emergency stop things would have turned out a lot better. Or if the derailing train hadn't wiped out the supports of the overpass which then fell on the train things would have been very different too.Adirondackernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-53535705630803285832009-06-12T23:55:05.670-07:002009-06-12T23:55:05.670-07:00Better signaling than what exists in the US would ...Better signaling than what exists in the US would prevent crashes in the first place.Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-85487535919915484012009-06-12T23:54:11.866-07:002009-06-12T23:54:11.866-07:00If the FRA wants to prevent the derailment that ha...If the FRA wants to prevent the derailment that happened in Germany all they have to do is make sure not to use the same wheel design that caused it. Deutsche Bahn has since corrected the problem.<br /><br />Or don't use German trains.Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-48134985944840842072009-06-12T23:50:04.048-07:002009-06-12T23:50:04.048-07:00Heavy locomotives don't increase derailment sa...Heavy locomotives don't increase derailment safety. To increase derailment safety, the FRA should either copy Japanese safety standards, or demand French-style articulated bogies.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-17906360571602244612009-06-12T23:27:56.513-07:002009-06-12T23:27:56.513-07:00The FRA is likely to require heavy trainsets out o...The FRA is likely to require heavy trainsets out of fear that the overseas equipment is not safe enough in a derailment at speed. Re the hsr wreck in Germany.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-63852475766710752122009-06-12T15:32:37.483-07:002009-06-12T15:32:37.483-07:00James Jonas said...
"As for the sizing issue,...James Jonas said...<br />"<i>As for the sizing issue, this is design dependent.</i>"<br /><br />Yes, its true that a tunnel could well require substantial eminent domain, but staying on the level where feasible with a combination of full road underpasses, split grade separations, and possibly one or two viaducts, there's very little eminent domain that would be required. There are some parking lots that Menlo Park is ferociously protecting, overlooked by the back end of sprawl retail along El Camino Real, and possibly a couple of place where there are curves that need straightening ... but really, unless they decide to tunnel, very little eminent domain would be required.BruceMcFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08502035881761277885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-3471425534861396532009-06-12T12:06:49.046-07:002009-06-12T12:06:49.046-07:00LOL. This thing isn't happening.LOL. This thing isn't happening.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-45259092182896291562009-06-12T10:53:08.738-07:002009-06-12T10:53:08.738-07:00Alternative three > Gore and Kerry ran bad camp...Alternative three > Gore and Kerry ran bad campaigns; Kerry in particular couldn't address the terrorism issue well.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-11066193162084360092009-06-12T08:21:36.755-07:002009-06-12T08:21:36.755-07:00Spokker-
The people voted for George W. Bush, twi...Spokker-<br /><br />The people voted for George W. Bush, twice.<br /><br />Alternative one -> The wisdom of the people prevailed.<br /><br />Alternative two -> Karl Rove is an evil genius.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-91687535918374551882009-06-12T00:57:30.352-07:002009-06-12T00:57:30.352-07:00the FRA is likely to demand trainsets that are sig...<i>the FRA is likely to demand trainsets that are significantly heavier than those in use overseas</i><br /><br />And Caltrain and HSR are likely to get it to grant them a waiver, since HSR will not share tracks with freight trains at all and Caltrain will have time separation.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-24088371281930667322009-06-12T00:42:59.139-07:002009-06-12T00:42:59.139-07:00Yeah, put those businesses on the East Bay where t...Yeah, put those businesses on the East Bay where they belong!Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-8977257995855748982009-06-12T00:13:44.531-07:002009-06-12T00:13:44.531-07:00A more honest pre-election simulation of the futur...A more honest pre-election simulation of the future HSR would have been a double size BART-style elevated hovering over a street lined with medical marijuana dispensaries, pawnshops, check cashing outfits and massage parlors. And throw in some razor wire as beautification.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-87558537489568443242009-06-11T23:51:48.536-07:002009-06-11T23:51:48.536-07:00If Diridon was so powerful, Pacheco such an awful ...If Diridon was so powerful, Pacheco such an awful choice, and Altamont the magic bullet that will fix Bay Area transit that EVERYBODY is for, why don't the people stand up to him?<br /><br />I mean, TRANSDEF, The BayRail Alliance, TRAC, and any number of groups absolutely vilify this guy, tell the people how it should be, and yet the people still voted for Prop 1A and the Bart-to-San Jose tax. Despite all their genius, all their expertise, the people defied them. Such a transgression by the people cannot go unpunished, and lawsuits must be launched in all directions for the good of the people. If the lawsuits fail, then TRANSDEF et al. are just the little guys being steamrolled by The Man.<br /><br />Why don't these groups get behind the HST overlay on Altamont? Get behind it and really turn it into something. The beginnings are there. All it needs is some egotistical transit advocates with too much time on their hands who know what is good for everyone else. <br /><br />Personally, I don't give a fuck which was chosen. Even in their analysis the CHSRA said there wasn't much difference between either alignment in many categories. But we have this form of government where important issues are taken to a vote, and guess what, the people spoke no matter how dumb you think their decision was. But the vote was tampered with and the ballot measures deceiving and all that stuff, unless the election would have gone your way, then it would have been a just election... give me a break.Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-3501549282500938152009-06-11T23:02:47.590-07:002009-06-11T23:02:47.590-07:00If these Peninsula towns want to receive any atten...If these Peninsula towns want to receive any attention they will have to slip some real cash to the politicos in the form of campaign contributions. Or the promise to deliver votes. That's how it works in California. Rest assured the engineering firms and contractors have been doling out plenty of payola.<br /><br />If it became a campaign issure that could open some minds to a rethink. <br /><br />I seriously doubt Palo Alto can raise the funds to pay for a lengthy 4 track subway. If they manage to extort the money out of the CHSRA the other towns will be outraged at the favoritism.<br /><br />The noise and vibration issues are sure to be worse than predicted as the FRA is likely to demand trainsets that are significantly heavier than those in use overseas. But the lawyers will do very well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-14466091762772457232009-06-11T19:16:29.322-07:002009-06-11T19:16:29.322-07:00Seriously, the mtn view city council wants a tunne...Seriously, the mtn view city council wants a tunnel and underground station for downtown. You can read their scoping comments and watch the meetings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-33534449199643022112009-06-11T15:01:52.007-07:002009-06-11T15:01:52.007-07:00FOUR Whopping ACRES!!!Someone please slap these ni...FOUR Whopping ACRES!!!Someone please slap these nimbys!!!NONIMBYSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-53514815801793226692009-06-11T13:02:17.219-07:002009-06-11T13:02:17.219-07:00Went hunting for some more information on ROW.
Wh...Went hunting for some more information on ROW.<br /><br />Why They Chose the Caltrain Corridor<br /><br />http://caltrain-hsr.blogspot.com/2009/03/why-they-chose-caltrain-corridor.html<br /><br />"Adding up the series of strips with the dimensions above, the grand total amount of land required to widen the entire peninsula corridor to a minimum of 75 feet is less than four acres."<br /><br />This is great stuff. ThxJames Jonashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686406134421744494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-49679270218865586242009-06-11T11:33:03.994-07:002009-06-11T11:33:03.994-07:00Even assuming that there are going to be notable e...Even assuming that there are going to be notable eminent domain takings in the Peninsula (there aren't), eminent domain is a fantastically simple concept (so simple that it gave rise to <i>Kelo</i>). Governments can take property for either public use or to transfer to a "better" private use. Now, most states have enacted laws to prevent <i>Kelo</i> "better private use" situations from taking place (California enacted Prop 99 in 2006, which prevents the state from taking owner-occupied residences and transferring them to private hands), but here we have an obvious public use. Once the State shows that CHSRA is a public agency - not exactly a difficult showing - the only question - and literally only question - is the value of the property. Litigation whose sole question is over the value of the property concludes itself rather quickly.<br /><br />And, quite frankly, I would suggest that in the rare cases where eminent domain is to be used, landowners are going to get a hell of a better deal negotiating to sell a strip of their backyard to CHSRA at a premium, rather than having CHSRA purchase their entire homes under today's depressed values. In many of these cases where the agency in question only needs a small strip of an owner's land, they would rather pay a premium for that strip because that's cheaper than ending up with ownership of your whole property and having to resell it. CHSRA is not a real estate agent.<br /><br />Cliff Black's quote appears to refer to Acela, where he may be right - straightening out the Acela tracks would involve exponentially more takings than the entire CAHSR project would.<br /><br />If there's going to be fireworks, it's going to be over the EIR/EIS, where there is a broader cause of action available.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14186947428645370594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-3799821527432304072009-06-11T10:35:10.647-07:002009-06-11T10:35:10.647-07:00Views may differ as to the ease of using eminent d...Views may differ as to the ease of using eminent domain.<br /><br />"Private property is sacred in the United States and it's very difficult to impose eminent domain to acquire property to build highways and high-speed rail," says Amtrak communications chief Cliff Black.<br /><br />http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ig-w6G5bFoiXZt3fRoUI7xuN_9Aw<br /><br />As for the sizing issue, this is design dependent.James Jonashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686406134421744494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-39245573186025770382009-06-11T09:36:26.325-07:002009-06-11T09:36:26.325-07:00What litigation and delay?
The eminent domain pro...What litigation and delay?<br /><br />The eminent domain process is not the insurmountable obstacle that many people assume it to be. It is swift and efficient, and in the grand scheme of the HSR project the expense is likely to be trivial. Both VTA and SamTrans are well versed in the process.<br /><br />Of course, the amount of property that will need to be taken this way is <a href="http://caltrain-hsr.blogspot.com/2009/03/why-they-chose-caltrain-corridor.html" rel="nofollow">trivial</a> since the Caltrain corridor is adequately sized.<br /><br />- yawn -Clemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01374282217135682245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-24227861657091448562009-06-11T09:30:56.822-07:002009-06-11T09:30:56.822-07:00Mountain View can't either have an elevated st...Mountain View can't either have an elevated structure or underground tracks.<br /><br />Mountain View has plenty of auto overpasses (San Antonio, Shoreline, 85, Whisman, 237). There are only two grade crossings. Mountain View has plans for Rengstorff, and built Shoreline with the possibility to close Castro.<br /><br />On top of that, Mountain View has overhead catenearies with light rail. <br /><br />Simply, Mountain View does not need to join that club, and would gladly take a station if given a chance.Andy Chowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972872641383327394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-79159915379613960882009-06-11T09:08:47.162-07:002009-06-11T09:08:47.162-07:00It’s because of the ‘complexities’ pointed out by ...It’s because of the ‘complexities’ pointed out by DBX that the CalTrain ROW is the strongest contender for the HSR corridor. CHARA still needs to mitigate the eminent domain issues, which will become a major expense, in terms of litigation and delay for this project. Getting more real community input and looking for some common ground solutions in the front end of the project will save in litigation/delays on the backend.James Jonashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686406134421744494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-56955027918711417672009-06-11T09:00:55.591-07:002009-06-11T09:00:55.591-07:00Mountain View wants and needs a tunnel in its down...Mountain View wants and needs a tunnel in its downtown.<br /><br />According to its own scoping letter, it does want cateneary or anything else divisive.<br /><br />If you think I am making this up, read their scoping letter.<br /><br />They are just hoping if they make friendly overtures to CHSRA that they will be first in line for cash to get their big dig.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-79265649663098105672009-06-11T08:00:34.593-07:002009-06-11T08:00:34.593-07:00It's particularly pitiful to see Palo Alto inv...It's particularly pitiful to see Palo Alto involved with this. You'd think with the Stanford community there, they'd be inclined to favor transportation. Makes me think town-gown relations there must not be all that good.<br /><br />Also, whoever suggested Altamont and a coastal LA-San Diego route . . . . I have a couple of questions.<br /><br />1) How do you suppose bypassing inland California makes political or economic sense for this project, either in the Valley or the Inland Empire?<br /><br />2) Do you really think the Marine Corps is about to allow a high-speed rail line through Camp Pendleton?<br /><br />The Bay Area is inevitably complicated on this project. There are too many competing jurisdictions and transit agencies. In a rational world, for example, VTA would not extend BART but rather would work with neighboring counties and cities to develop Caltrain into a fast, electrified regional rail system serving the entire Bay Area, with BART dealing with higher density segments in the San Francisco and Oakland area.<br /><br />But we don't live in a rational world, we live in a political one populated by humans, and while we may not be getting the particular transit operators, track gauges and trainsets we want, we're getting routes where they will serve the most passengers and we're well on the way to getting service that will realistically enable people to use their cars less and get around more conveniently at the same time.<br /><br />And in particular, with the way the future transit in the Bay Area is developing, it is vital for the future of the Bay Area, and in particular the future of voters who don't want to be on the hook for transit bailouts, that these various systems interconnect. The Peninsula's 101 route obsession explicitly gets in the way of that interconnection by routing HSR away from town centers and jeopardizing Caltrain upgrades, and ironically enough would therefore run the risk of incurring the same kinds of subsidy costs that VTA faces with the BART extension that the Peninsula crowd rightly criticises.DBXnoreply@blogger.com