tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post5210988403446928415..comments2023-10-30T09:03:07.163-07:00Comments on California High Speed Rail Blog: Fear and Loathing in San JoseRobert Cruickshankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06906581839066570472noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-59601973941287787512009-09-06T03:17:14.368-07:002009-09-06T03:17:14.368-07:00@ neroden@gmail -
are you suggesting running HSR ...@ neroden@gmail -<br /><br />are you suggesting running HSR tracks through the residential Willow Glen neighborhood?<br /><br />Also, the old ROW ends at San Carlos St. and crosses VTA light rail. It's not clear to me how track would connect to SJ Diridon or how full-length (1320' = 1/4 mi) straight platforms could be constructed there.Rafaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05471957286484454765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-37182127399332389222009-09-06T00:56:36.511-07:002009-09-06T00:56:36.511-07:00"The Grapevine route is graphically and marke..."The Grapevine route is graphically and markedly superior and deserves exhaustive study before being rejected. Since it has already been reduced to one alignment an in-depth study would not be a budget buster."<br /><br />Since that *one alignment* involves crossing *two faults undergound*, and IIRC in the *same tunnel*, it sounds outrageously unreasonable.neroden@gmailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07475686367097445497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-73672129826659646932009-09-06T00:55:21.822-07:002009-09-06T00:55:21.822-07:00New suggestion!
Run it in the 101 median south of...New suggestion!<br /><br />Run it in the 101 median south of Blossom Hill Road, or if that doesn't work, the highway 85 merger.<br /><br />North of that and south of San Jose Avenue, run in the Monterey Highway right-of-way. The median means there's room to move the road over and put the railway in; at worst make it elevated, along this stretch only. It would probably need to be elevated or trenched north of Curtner Avenue. <br /><br />This non-101 section is all within City of San Jose limits, so theoretically there should be less problem in getting the road ROW...<br /><br />Reconnect to either Lick or all the way around to Diridion Station using the disused ROW north of San Jose Avenue (in an elevated or trenched alignment). It's disused, someone will sell it.<br /><br />Connect the two with an elevated alignment across one-story commercial buildings and parking lots. This would be a tougher sell, but sounds feasible. Careful examination may spot a cut-and-cover tunnel option with a small number of demolitions.<br /><br />Advantages: <br />- straightness<br />- no residential takings<br />- no construction more than one story away from ground level (no "bridges over bridges")<br />- should therefore have good curves and vertical curves<br />- good approaches to San Jose Diridion (especially if you keep following the disused ROW the 'long way' to where it meets light rail near Auzerais Ave).<br /><br />Disadvantages<br />- long viaduct work (presumably expensive)<br />- utility relocation in the Monterey Highway area<br /><br />If UP could be convinced to deal between Lick and Caltrain Capitol only it would simply things immensely.buloneroden@gmailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07475686367097445497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-6242830389293251752009-09-06T00:48:31.900-07:002009-09-06T00:48:31.900-07:00@ jim -
if tunneling through the Grapevine weren&...@ jim -<br /><br />if tunneling through the Grapevine weren't so expensive and risky, the Antelope Valley would be SOL in a New York minute. They left out CoCo county, fercrissakes. That has twice as many residents in a much smaller area.Rafaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05471957286484454765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-54316676435299522222009-09-04T12:29:51.092-07:002009-09-04T12:29:51.092-07:00ITs not going via grapevine.ITs not going via grapevine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-35232298554923501102009-09-04T12:05:39.173-07:002009-09-04T12:05:39.173-07:00There are a whole lot of places that won't be ...There are a whole lot of places that won't be on the hsr - say, Redding, for example. The LA regional network can serve Palmdale quite adequately.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-42084714371918826012009-09-04T11:36:53.573-07:002009-09-04T11:36:53.573-07:00you can't leave out the antelope valley. You ...you can't leave out the antelope valley. You don't get to leave people out just cuz you don't want to go there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-56808772835350801652009-09-04T10:53:34.631-07:002009-09-04T10:53:34.631-07:00I don't forsee the 99 corridor as necessarily ...I don't forsee the 99 corridor as necessarily anything other than a true hsr. It would be more expensive than the initial I-5 due to urban areas onroute and somewhat less express due to more stops. In practice hsr trains on the 99 corridor would hit all the stops whereas I-5 would be express.<br /><br />IMHO Pacheco and Altamont are both acceptable - both have their pros and cons. But the Tehachapis represents a built-in handicap. The Grapevine route is graphically and markedly superior and deserves exhaustive study before being rejected. Since it has already been reduced to one alignment an in-depth study would not be a budget buster.<br /><br />To recapture public support the hsr needs to boldly go where no train has gone before.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-3254504309866654602009-09-04T05:53:56.945-07:002009-09-04T05:53:56.945-07:00Ah, I see Anon, two independent corridors, one for...Ah, I see Anon, two independent corridors, one for Expresses, one for Limiteds, Semi-Expresses, Station Skippers and All-Stations.<br /><br />Now, since the branch that goes through Fresno and Bakersfield has the best benefit/cost ratio, why not build it first, and then if there is ever the benefit/cost ratio to justify building the Express-only corridor, then build that then. Given the capacity of a single corridor, that might be a while, but that's fine.BruceMcFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08502035881761277885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-34272936529269044562009-09-03T23:32:05.556-07:002009-09-03T23:32:05.556-07:00can we just build thew damn thing as planned and b...can we just build thew damn thing as planned and be done with it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-33250871900682378802009-09-03T22:40:48.531-07:002009-09-03T22:40:48.531-07:00You would serve Bakersfield and Fresno on a branch...You would serve Bakersfield and Fresno on a branch, the beginning of a 99 corridor to Sacramento that would be completed in a second phase. But Bakersfield and Fresno would be included in the first phase for political expediency.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-8528365768716255502009-09-03T17:19:28.789-07:002009-09-03T17:19:28.789-07:00AndyDuncan said...
"And if you go up the five...AndyDuncan said...<br />"<i>And if you go up the five [from bakersfield], skipping Fresno, you only save 12 miles. If you were somehow able to make the grapevine alignment work, you'd save about 27 miles [by skipping bakersfield and fresno].</i>"<br /><br />Skipping Fresno loses more ridership than 12 miles gains, and skipping Fresno and Bakersfield loses more ridership than 27 miles gains.<br /><br />Its a suboptimum - optimizing for a partial set of goals, not for the full set.<br /><br />Subgoal optimization.BruceMcFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08502035881761277885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-13478996120021312272009-09-03T15:00:01.107-07:002009-09-03T15:00:01.107-07:00@ Rafeal,
I don't see why you have to pick up...@ Rafeal,<br /><br />I don't see why you have to pick up both tracks to clear the overpass. Cheaper to drop the HSR into a trench to add the extra 10' required to get under the overpass. The LRT is already 30' over grade, so to get over an overpass that is 20' over grade, it only has to rise 10' itself.<br /><br />Indeed, for at least one station that would allow bring the LRT over above its parking lot instead of having one of those idiotic patronage killing highway median stations.<br /><br />The last connection to 101 would require a full viaduct, but that's less than a mile, and allows the HSR to arrive wherever it needs to for the alignment down to Gilroy.BruceMcFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08502035881761277885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-51311621101297294962009-09-03T14:32:02.094-07:002009-09-03T14:32:02.094-07:00Bad sentence. Fixed:
And if you go up the five [f...Bad sentence. Fixed:<br /><br />And if you go up the five [from bakersfield], skipping Fresno, you only save 12 miles. If you were somehow able to make the grapevine alignment work, you'd save about 27 miles [by skipping bakersfield and fresno].Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08878685680339441795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-4436303518309288262009-09-03T14:30:23.669-07:002009-09-03T14:30:23.669-07:00But if feasible the Grapevine is obviously prefera...<i>But if feasible the Grapevine is obviously preferable because it is more direct, even for the CV.</i><br /><br />Yes, but it doesn't look like it is feasible. I mentioned on another thread that if you're going over tehachapi, bakersfield is not out of the way, so you might as well have a station there even if you go up the 5. And if you go up the five, skipping Fresno, you only save 12 miles. If you were somehow able to make the grapevine alignment work, you'd save about 27 miles.<br /><br />That's about 3 or 8 minutes at 200mph, respectively.<br /><br />I think the benefit of getting Bakersfield and Fresno connected are worth 3-8 minutes.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08878685680339441795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-21403513742825085722009-09-03T13:59:26.226-07:002009-09-03T13:59:26.226-07:00@ anonymous 4:10
The Sac t0 LA via I-5 is good al...@ anonymous 4:10<br /><br />The Sac t0 LA via I-5 is good altho San Jose taps the Bay Area and Sac logically should be on the 99 corridor route.<br /><br />At some point we may see the CHSRA altering course and deciding to swim via I-5 rather than sink in the Tehachapis. The hsr mandate is eroding and it is time to return to a backbone concept before it is too late. The CHSRA has yet to disprove the likelihood that both alignments are roughly similar in terms of difficulty of construction. But if feasible the Grapevine is obviously preferable because it is more direct, even for the CV.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-54405649745068964932009-09-03T01:14:46.314-07:002009-09-03T01:14:46.314-07:00but what you say about Newark Penn is inaccurate. ...<em>but what you say about Newark Penn is inaccurate. ARC is projected to lead to one-seat rides from the Erie lines, rather than to more traffic on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Shore Lines</em>.<br /><br />They will be adding capacity for 25 trains an hour. They aren't all going to be coming from the old Erie lines. <br /><br />7 billion or so for the ARC project and another 2 billion or so west of that, some of it west of Secaucus, to add capacity to Newark. <br /><br />All of the lines that go through Newark, either at Penn Station or Broad Street are standing room only during rush hour, they are going to be adding trains. Once they decide where to put it, there's going to be a new branch off the North Jersey Coast line. The Raritan Valley Line is going to get one seat rides out of this too, I suspect that is going to generate a few more trains every rush hour - a repeat of Midtown Direct and Montclair Direct. Rumor has it that Amtrak is going to be getting more slots during peak also. There's going to be more trains passing through Penn Station in Newark.Adirondacker12800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-13207859120077657922009-09-03T00:16:38.547-07:002009-09-03T00:16:38.547-07:00and I live on top of a bart station so yay for me...and I live on top of a bart station so yay for me and bart to sfo.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-49913773466397222032009-09-03T00:14:38.214-07:002009-09-03T00:14:38.214-07:00rafaelMeanwhile, at SFO, the status quo is BART + ...rafael<i>Meanwhile, at SFO, the status quo is BART + BART + AirTrain + schlepping suitcases between island platforms + futzing with BART ticketing machines - a complete cluster**** for anyone trying to connect to Caltrain now or HSR in the future. If it were just the courtesy AirTrain or a courtesy shuttle bus, the connection would be much more attractiv</i><br /><br />well only domestic terminals. - international arrivals and departures and well as domestic flights on jet blue and virgin america and virgin atlantic - a total of 29 airlines ( international and domestic) depart and arrive at the international terminal with direct access from ticketing and gates to to the bart platform.<br /><br />I use it whenever I can to avoid setting foot in the eastbay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-72228670265692331722009-09-02T23:59:15.799-07:002009-09-02T23:59:15.799-07:00Adirondacker: I don't disagree that San Jose c...Adirondacker: I don't disagree that San Jose could make do with 6 tracks, but what you say about Newark Penn is inaccurate. ARC is projected to lead to one-seat rides from the Erie lines, rather than to more traffic on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Shore Lines.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-23832204759254936292009-09-02T18:09:19.094-07:002009-09-02T18:09:19.094-07:00@Dave: actually the document doesn't say those...@Dave: actually the document doesn't say those options are being considered, just that they were raised in the scoping process as comments.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08878685680339441795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-84719648990910163262009-09-02T17:57:47.998-07:002009-09-02T17:57:47.998-07:00@Dave good find, although that's just the scop...@Dave good find, although that's just the scoping doc, not the full EIR.<br /><br />The comments are interesting. Question: what is "Greater Gardner" and who is Harvey S. Darnell?<br /><br />He seems to have a set of amazingly detailed questions (and no comments, by the way) about the impact to Greater Gardner (which from what I can find is the area nestled in between the crotch of the 280 and the 101.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08878685680339441795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-61530316533057948182009-09-02T17:29:17.256-07:002009-09-02T17:29:17.256-07:00Some of the things mentioned here like using VTA&#...Some of the things mentioned here like using VTA's corridor following Highway 85 & 87 as well as running HSR on the 101 to Gilroy is being considered.davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-60337074050767377322009-09-02T17:20:18.400-07:002009-09-02T17:20:18.400-07:00Here's the just released EIR/EIS for San Jose ...Here's the just released EIR/EIS for San Jose To Merced for August, 2009:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/images/chsr/20090901150201_Draft%20San%20Jose%20to%20Merced%20Scoping%20Report%20with%20Comment%20Summary.pdf" rel="nofollow">LINK</a>davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-83579155212733553482009-09-02T14:58:27.576-07:002009-09-02T14:58:27.576-07:00@ Rafael and Jim
I believe Lufthansa used to offe...@ Rafael and Jim<br /><br />I believe Lufthansa used to offer a choice of either a flight or a train ride on some inner-German route out of Frankfurt on a train in Lufthansa livery in the 1980s and 1990s.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00326948451529910432noreply@blogger.com