This editorial by the Contra Costa Times has the length of the Central Valley section of HSR wrong. It's now longer than initial plan of 54 miles from Borden to Corcoran. Because of an additional $600 million ARRA stimulus dollars (taken from Ohio and Wisconsin), it's now from south of Merced to north of Bakersfield.
That mistake aside, the editorial is a powerful indictment of the HSR project in California. What the rail authority intends to build in the Central Valley is not one or two segments, as required by AB3034. It's a section of both. We used to call that "licking the spoon," so that no one else will use it.
The rail authority is "licking the spoon" in order to claim that have started construction of all 800 miles. And, if nothing or no one stops them, start it they will. The problem lies in the fact that they won't finish anything; merely start it. The laws governing this project prohibit that; that is, building no more than a section. The question then becomes, who, if anyone, will enforce the law?
In the winter of 1170, Henry II, King of England, famously said, about Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket, "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"
Will no one rid us of this meddlesome HSR project?
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http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_16808319/?nclick_check=1&source=most_emailed
Contra Costa Times editorial: Must put a stop to ridiculous high-speed rail
MediaNews editorial
Posted: 12/09/2010 12:01:00 AM PST
GENERALLY, WHEN one thinks of a railroad, high speed or conventional, there are a couple of basic components. One is a length of track that connects at least two population centers. The other is the train itself.
After spending $3 billion in federal tax money and perhaps a similar amount of state bond money, California's high-speed rail "system" will have neither. It will consist of 54 miles of track in the middle of the Central Valley. It won't even connect Fresno to Bakersfield. Also, there will be no train or power to run one.
Yet the High-Speed Rail Authority, which has demonstrated gross incompetence since its inception, voted unanimously to go ahead with laying tracks between the great metropolises of Borden and Corcoran.
Why? The board fears that if something is not started soon, it will lose out on the opportunity to waste taxpayers dollars trying to build a rail system that lacks a coherent business plan and faces massive opposition along its proposed route in populated areas.
There is nothing that has gone right with the high-speed rail proposal. Estimates of costs are dubious. Fares were grossly underestimated, then adjusted to levels well above airfare. There is not even a reasonable rough estimate of ridership.
Also, there is virtually no chance of business investment. The rail system is almost certain to require huge taxpayer subsidies to attract the private capital needed to make the train viable. But such subsidies are explicitly banned by the 2008 initiative that authorizes $9.95 billion in bond funding.
After the $3 billion and a matching amount of the rail bond money is spent on the railroad from nowhere to nowhere, the system will still need another $36 billion.
Some of that money could come from the remainder of the $9.95 billion bond measure if more federal matching funds are available, which also is highly unlikely.
Besides, state Treasurer Bill Lockyer said Wall Street investors are so skeptical of the rail system that they doubt they can sell the bonds.
No wonder even the rail system's peer review group was highly critical of the program and called for a "thorough reassessment" of how it is being planned and managed.
Despite all of the problems with California's high-speed rail plans, the federal government, which is supposed to seriously weigh the benefits of stimulus-funded projects, boosted its support of $2.25 billion to $3 billion. Clearly, the Department of Transportation did not take more than a cursory look at the rail project and certainly did not consider its merits.
Once the track has been laid, then what? Does the rail authority think a Republican-controlled House that is calling for deficit-reduction is going to send more money to California to waste on such an obvious boondoggle?
It's past time to face the facts on California's fantasy train, which is no more realistic than "The Polar Express."
Conceptually, high-speed rail makes sense. But it should be built in regions of high population density, examples like Western Europe, parts of China, Japan and the northeastern United States. It also should have a solid business plan and competent leaders.
California's Boondoggle Express has none of the above and should be scrapped immediately before more taxpayer dollars are tossed into the wind.
