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California HSR - "Unfavorable" New York Times
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: [QB] The New York Times, appearing as the lead article within the National section today, has printed a rather unfavorable article about the California HSR project, which suggests skepticism regarding whether it will be completed: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/us/03borden.html Brief passage: [i][list] [*]But despite the potential bounty of jobs, high-speed rail has not been fully embraced. After the rail authority approved the initial route in early December, Representative Dennis Cardoza, a Central Valley Democrat, disparagingly referred to it as “the train to nowhere.” “For the California High-Speed Rail Authority to choose this route is to significantly undermine the public’s trust, marks a gross misuse of taxpayer funds and will alienate significant supporters of the project,” he said. Part of that agita, of course, may be that the first section of high-speed rail will not pass through his district. But the congressman is not the only person complaining. Several towns have passed resolutions opposing the project because of worries about the disruption of a 220-mile-an-hour train zipping through downtown districts. And in the Central Valley, where huge, decades-old government irrigation projects have helped turned California into an agricultural powerhouse, farmers have grumbled about the rail project gobbling up valuable farm land. “We’re of the belief that the productive farmland is an environmental and societal benefit, and we ought to be doing whatever we can to keep that land productive,” said Dave Kranz, a spokesman for the California Farm Bureau. “And once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”[/i] [/list] The purpose of first building "The B&C", or The Borden and Corcoran if we will, is to provide a test bed that eventually will be part of the system, if it ever is to be completed. Even though the map appearing in the article does not show such, the line will pass through Fresno and eliminate a number of grade X-ings. Hopefully, the existing San Joaquins will be routed over such and will not disrupt testing of prototype equipment. There will be far less environmental impact on a line that, save Fresno, built in the middle of nowhere than there would be if constructed between two population centers. Should the HSR project "die a natural death" at the hands of pols, there would still be a segment of trackage that would result in a more efficient San Joaquin service. But all told, if "The B&C" is encountering environmental impact issues, I shudder to think what is ahead when it is time to build "The SF&SJ" or otherwise the San Francisco & San Jose. Somehow, I think it will be a tough sell to have an elevated structure built within sight of the mansions in Atherton - it will disturb the eucalyptus trees. If I recall, there was a 'fruck-fruck' when a grade separation project was proposed through downtown Menlo Park. The many here familiar with the area know where that one went. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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