Getting high-speed rail from a nightmare to a dream

The $100 bil HSR money should be re-allocated to higher speed commuter rail, more water storage and upgrading our electrical grid.

The HSR is already out of date because it can't provide the convenience of an autonomously driven EV. An EV eliminates worries about missing the train, moving to other forms of transportation and the amount of luggage you can take. While the HSR provides "station to station" transportation an autonomously driven EV will provide “door to door” convenience in less total trip time and for less cost.

Victor - that dream was likely relevant when we voted for that initial bond issue. Since then, we found out that little or no thought was given to land acquisition, routing and crossing very expensive mountain ranges. On top of that, instead of adhering to the basics of a high speed transit system, it was decided to make stops at small cities like Merced and Modesto. The high speed railways elsewhere only connect major cities as in Paris, Lyon and Marseille. The cost to cross the mountains starting at the Grapevine is staggering if not impossible. The best solution would be to follow the same route as the current Amtrak to the LA basin along the coast. But that would not help the land speculators and the labor unions. So, the project is doomed because the cost is now prohibitive and will grind on to nowhere until the voters finally cut off funding.