California High-Speed Trains: Station Interior

[CommunityBuildersSB]

California is so important to the rest of the country.

If it was a separate nation, California would have the eighth largest economy in the world. And, its growth depends on high-speed rail providing alternatives to cars and airplanes, especially as volatile petroleum prices continue to rise.

Moreover, most of the economic growth is going to be coming from the Inland Empire and the Central Valley that need better connections to the coastal counties.

[pete5668]

boondoggle

[sideslide23]

@pete5668 Fuck you boondoggle.

[EpiDemic117]

@DonHamburger Well libertarians would be against something liek this. Libetards don't agree with government subsidies.

[WalnutPeanut]

They're already planning to build next year. Won't be done until 2020 something. I'll be around 30 years old... Geez...

[trixsam]

the colors of the trains remind me of the dutch trains

[simhopp]

the main problem with california is that mountain range just north of Los Angeles.

It would be very costly to build high speed rail through or over this San Gabriel Mountain? I don't know the name of it.

[M1keyblue]

oh man, having nice fast trains in usa would be rly cool, and it would be much better for transporting people and stuffs. but i see that usa is not thinking rly about it to realize it. well, very sad.

[sideslide23]

We need high speed train right now especially hearing the news about a small plane that crashed into a IRS building in Austin Texas last week.

[MustRunFaster]

@sideslide23 Right. Because high speed trains have a perfect safety record and have never, ever crashed.

[gibb1991]

@MustRunFaster There's only been one high speed rail derailment that resulted in deaths. Germany 1994. An old ICE-1 train derailed while traveling at high speed hitting a bridge pillar. The bridge collapsed on top of the train. Had the bridge not collapsed almost all passengers would have survived; still, 76% of the passengers onboard the train walked away just fine. Japan Railways has been operating for 46 years without a fatal incident and SNCF has been operating for 30 years.

[sideslide23]

@MustRunFaster Newsflash, It crashed in China July of this year, killing more than 25 passenger onboard.

[tickyul]

I just cannot believe that CaliforniaTARDS voted for light rail. Well then again, maybe I can. If you think the USPS and Amtrak are STINKING BLUE ELEPHANTS that lose money each year, you aint seen nothin yet. The cost for the line from San Fran to LA is supposed to cost....what, 40 billion? And it is not allowed to use any public money to build..HAHA! When it is running, the private company running it will get a GAURANTEED rider level per year (government subsidy), or at least that is the rumor.

[derfman1963]

I agree with you on this. Should have let them fail, but then that would leave us with Ford as the only american car manufacturer. They may deserve it since they seem to be the only ones responsible enough to save money in good times, so they don't have to borrow in bad. Well at least we can see how well the bail outs really work this way. If Ford does better then those that took the money, then thats good evidence bail outs where wrong.

[derfman1963]

If California is soooo liberal, then why did they vote down gay marriage. BTW I support gay marriage, it's their choice, not mine. Fortunately I don't have to deal with it. I live in Florida now, much more conservative, and no income tax. And yet we have a much lower budget deficit, even figuring in the lower population.

[derfman1963]

@DonHamburger I am a libertarian conservative, not republican. I believe that no one should be forced into public transport. And I will not be quiet. I'm tired of democrats/liberals calling themselves champions of free speech, then telling dissenters to shut up. And my comment about Californians love affair with cars is valid. Having been born and raised there, I have first hand knowledge of such. I've also lived in Honolulu where they have a very good Public system. Still plenty of cars too.

[s2k997]

@DonHamburger: A very good point. When it's been stacked up so there is only one real choice, its easy to make it look if the car rose to prominence because of 'preference'; however with the alternatives underinvested and far inferior to how they could be, it is no wonder people are channelled towards one conclusion. In Britain, I can get to any city at least half an hour quicker than any car; simpy because the trains mostly run at almost double the car's speed limit. With an edge, it'll work.

[Coastergeekperson04]

They're going to ruin LAUPT!

[paullubliner]

Let's See: ANYBODY OUT THERE TALKING ABOUT POPULATION DENSITY???? I LIVE 15 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO'S STATION AND 12 MILES FROM SOLANA BEACH...SO??? IF I'M IN THE FRIGGING CAR I STAY IN IT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT BECAUSE I NEED ANOTHER CAR AT THE OTHER TERMINOUS. DUH! NO SATISFACTORY PUBLIC TRANSPORT CAN EXIST AT BOTH ENDS. TOO MANY MILES TO TOO MANY DESTINATION. TO LOW OF A POPULATION DENSITY!

[derfman1963]

This plan does not take into consideration the typical love affair Californian's have with their car. If you can't get them out of the car and onto the train, it will fail. Then after spending all that money on the infrastruture, they will be forced to dump more tax money into the failing system. The only reason it works in europe is due to the culture of train ridership that already exists there. Europeans ride trains because of high taxes on personal transportation and gasoline.

[boyblue499]

It most certainly does account for that. After all, people have to get out of their car to fly on a plane, and SF-LA is the busiest air corridor in the nation. Localized rail is also heavily invested in (LA is spending TENS of BILLIONS of dollars right now on its rail system, which already has 1.5 million daily rides)

[sideslide23]

why is the gas price in Europe are $12 Per gallon thats ****** outragous.

[NFL9475]

because of heavy taxes, of course. Everybody know that. Even in UK and Norway, producting countries, taxes are high as everywhere else in Europe. The message is clear : dont use oil... or pay the price! Maybe Americans will understand that strategy when oil age will be over...

[WayOvertaxed]

Never mind now. It's not going to happen since California is on the very edge of Bankruptcy. Because CA's congress didn't pass a proper budget, the state's credit rating will be lowered to Junk-Bond status...i.e. NO way of ever funding this project! The good news is they'll STILL find a way to pay for welfare, section-8 housing, food stamps, child care, college aid, pre-K to 12 schooling, breakfast-lunch programs, prison housing, etc. etc. etc. for the 16+ MILLION ILLEGAL aliens in our state.

[Aobasakura]

Americans!! Please, buy shinkansen!!

[Thibaultchannel]

Too late, they bought TGV.

[poseidoncambria]

They should buy the AGV.

[Thibaultchannel]

I guess it'll be AGV anyway cos it's the new TGV, it's like if you want to buy an iphone today, you'll get the 3GS and not the 3G anymore lol

[yangj08]

And to you I'll say that I desperately hope you're wrong. What California needs is a high-speed rail system that can withstand earthquakes without injuring anyone. Not going to find that on the TGV or even the AGV yet, no matter how fast it goes.

[mathiaske3]

shinkansen are weak

[yangj08]

But they're safe, and that's just as important as speed. How earthquake-prone is California? France? Japan? Japan would be a much closer parallel than France.

[sideslide23]

you mean the N700?

[emforty2]

this should have happened 50 years ago

were so behind on this

electric-hybrid cars is not the solution if traffic is crawling now wait after 5 years when the econmy improves

your electric car will be stuck on the freeway

[TrickyEmu]

Absolutely! The U.S. should have made the change years ago, but Republicans rejected it because they try to distance the USA from Europe. What's so bad about doing what Europe does? Nothing. Instead we have to wait until late 2020 while Europeans will have an coordinated, fast, international high speed rail system. In Europe you don't need a car!

[kmillard]

I'm 48 and in reasonably good health and I seriously doubt I will live to see even one mile of track laid.

[poseidoncambria]

That better not be the case. I'm going to be really pissed if they don't finish this by 2018.

[DaaYay]

emforty2

That's exactly what I've always told people who think the train is a waste! They always say that electric cars will save everyone and we won't need the train. Stupidest way of fixing something this big.

Your right, there's no use in driving electric or even fuel efficient cars when your not moving on the freeway!

[sierracuban]

@emforty2 EXACTLY........We needed this type of trains and electric cars way back.....BUT, the car companies and oil companies LOBBIED effectively to KILL this........MONEY TALKS......AND WE PAY.......

[SforzandoFilms]

Me likey!

[FullMentalPanic]

THIS is how I want the platform at Los Angeles Union Station to look like!

Erm, come to think of it, is there any space at LAUS for such an elaborate platform LOL? I guess it's gonna be an ugly underground chamber instead.

[Modeltrainguy]

As much as Californians want High Speed Rail...I hope it happens soon. Not JUST for California, but for America as a whole. Look at other countries that have HSR:

Japan - The size of California.

South Korea - About the same size as Minnesota.

Spain - Slightly more than twice the size of Oregon.

France - slightly less than double the size of Colorado.

Taiwan - Slightly larger than the states of Maryland & Delaware combined.

Think about it...1,000s of jobs!

[JeffreyBeanJr]

And billions of dollars of debt.

[FullMentalPanic]

>>JeffreyBeanJr

If our water supplies needed a billion dollar renovation project, would you look at the price tag, or the benefits? We can't just look at the short-term consequences, but also at the long-term benefits.

Besides, with China and other developing countries hoarding steel and concrete to serve their needs, the prices of those resources will only continue to grow. Waiting isn't exactly the best strategy. Doing nothing is even worse.

[tombstonetom]

Building an equivalant in freeways and Airports would be twice as much debt. HSR is faster, safer, easier, more efficent and takes less space. The real question is do the voters or the leaders in office have the gusts and Brains to do it.

[DaaYay]

Get educated about High Speed Rail! Visit one of the many blogs at: cahsr(dot)blogspot(dot)com

[IandMVirtualMotive]

I heard all the Diesel Equiptment that Amtrak uses on its Amtrak California services will be moved to Florida. There was a proposal for services like this a few weeks ago. I'm glad for California. Florida is a bunch of retired republicans who don't support rail at all. Look at Regan for example, he was against Amtrak and everything it stood/stands for. Its to bad Florida lost on the oppurtunity. There was a vote for it (Amendment 28 or 27 I think) in 2003(it was in the 2000-2004 area though)....

[lixxim]

That's sick!

[defaultuser11434]

OMG it's CGI pile in people

[emp99]

This will be a fantastic feature!

it will also save millions of tons of CO2 from being emitted in the atmosphere, because less people will use cars in between cities,just like in Japan and France.

I can't wait for it! please vote for it! (Californian's will be asked to vote for it in 2008)

[emachines34]

When in 2008 will voting start?

[DaaYay]

I think voting will be Nov 4, 2008 But you can check elsewhere because I'm not sure.

VOTE, YES Californians! on the $9 Billion Bond to get it started!

[JeffreyBeanJr]

The $9.95 billion in bonds will not be free. It will cost much more to repay in the future. I think we should wait and get California's current spending under control before borrowing this large sum.

[DaaYay]

Sorry that's not gonna happen! This investment cannot be held up anymore! In debt or not it must be built, Oil isn't gonna get any cheaper, California's budget problems will not go away anytime soon. This project is way late and it cannot be delayed any longer!

[JeffreyBeanJr]

How much will this train decrease your driving?

[P00P00Head]

You can't look at this project in individual terms. Even if you don't travel much between the different cities in California, it will benefit you through the less cars that will be on the roads. Less cars = less congestion, less air pollution, less demand on oil. We can't just keep relying on our highways, this is a good and inevitable first step in the right direction.

[Modeltrainguy]

Agreed, DaaYay!

California had the chance 25 years ago...

The 1 Hour PBS TV Program "NOVA", highlighted that VERY plan to bring Bullet Trains to California:

"Tracking The Supertrains

While America's passenger-train service deteriorates, trains in Japan and Europe are speeding ahead at over 150 miles per hour. NOVA reports that the super-fast trains are finally coming to America.

Original broadcast date: 12/14/82

Topic: technology/engineering"

[emachines34]

When in 2008 will voting start?

[emachines34]

When in 2008 will voting start?

[raghavpradeep]

gr8 imagination ;-)

[georgebui101]

PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE California build us High Speed Rail!!!!!!!!!

[georgebui101]

whoever gave me the thumbs down please reply why you think California does not need high speed rail.

[kokotisk]

I guess California needs maglev

[PanGottardo]

In support of georgebui!

As far as I know, California is the leading state in the US to act on improvements to save the environment. Current studies prove it also to be the one highest in need of such action.

Just think about traffic congestion i.e. - therefore air pollution, the space that huge highways demand... If you think green and care for the continuity of Earth, support hispeed-rail. It's clean, it's safe - it's the future!

[P00P00Head]

Not only is it great for the environment, the proposed high speed rail will vastly improve business oppertunities and save/make us money and time in the long run. It is much cheaper than maintaining/expanding our highway systems and airports. Additionally, the uninterupted rail lines will be used by freight as well, further helping to reduce congestion and improve our economy. If you care about California, the US, and the World, you must vote yes this coming November!!!

[MustRunFaster]

@georgebui101 Why? So that you can go from LA to SF by train for your weekend getaways? Does that really solve America's energy crisis? No. Our problems stem from the 1950 and onward when the suburbs were created. Until America's population starts caring about cities and moving back into dense areas, our energy problems will persist. And besides, suburban commuters cause far more air pollution than the relatively rare instances where you need to go to LA from SF or vice versa.

[EpiDemic117]

@MustRunFaster The solution to our energy problems is that of a fusion reactor being fully operation some time in the near few decades.

[295murase]

Platforms are too high.

Trains are French TGV.

[railmatt]

Go for it California!

[thunderdragon14]

It looks so real! I CANT WAIT!!