Expo Line will be Safe

CityWatch - An insider look at City Hall - Expo Line will be Safe: It’s a Fact

Expo Line will be Safe: It’s a Fact Print E-mail
Moving LA
By Darrell Clarke

Active ImageSimple fact checking refutes the “Fix Expo” contentions about the Expo Line’s safety, equity, and funding (4/10/09 CityWatch).

Expo Line's phase 1 from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City is well under construction and scheduled to open next year. We can’t have this critical transportation alternative to the Santa Monica Freeway traffic soon enough!

The Expo Line follows the safe standard of mostly-at-grade light rail in many cities: 35 mph under signal control in boulevard medians, 55 mph with gated crossings on private fenced right-of-way, and bridges or underpasses specified where required for cross traffic or topography. Recent local precedents of at-grade light rail are the Pasadena Gold Line, which has had an excellent safety record since opening in 2003, and the Eastside Gold Line, opening later this year. Other cities that have opened similar lines in the last few years include Phoenix, San Francisco, Portland, Salt Lake City, Houston, Minneapolis, and Charlotte.

Finding at-grade light rail more pedestrian-friendly, the City of Santa Monica requested and the Expo Authority just approved that option along Colorado Avenue. Santa Monica’s 3/2/09 city council report noted, “Street-level rail corridors provide greater opportunities over time for retail businesses, an enhanced pedestrian environment and walkable connections to the neighborhoods.”

The Expo Line’s 0.7 mile in Culver City happens to have only one street crossing, across two legs of the intersection of National and Washington. It will have a rail bridge due to traffic. For the same traffic reason there will be over twice the length of similar bridges in Los Angeles east of Ballona Creek over Jefferson, La Cienega, and La Brea, as well as an underpass below Figueroa and Flower.

The California Public Utilities Commission approved the safety of all but one proposed crossing on the Expo Line. That remaining one by Dorsey High will have a pedestrian bridge instead of a gated crossing.

Phase 1 is already funded. Measure R is providing funding for phase 2, the rest of the way to Santa Monica, which is being designed to the same high standards. Federal stimulus money is for "shovel ready" projects that have received environmental clearance and completed their design. These are absolutely not for the unprecedented action of canceling a project well under construction to be unnecessarily redesigned at double the cost. (Darrell Clarke is Co-Chair of Friends 4 Expo Transit. Friends 4 Expo Transit is the grassroots group of volunteers who have been supporting the Expo Line since 2000 (and some individually for 20 years). Our motto, “Connecting Neighbors,” reflects members all along the Exposition corridor in Los Angeles, Culver City, and Santa Monica, plus the larger region. Website: www.friends4expo.org .) ◘

CityWatch
Vol 7 Issue 33
Pub: Apr 24, 2009

No Stimulus money for the California to Vegas Meglev train

Plan for stimulus dollars makes no mention of California to Vegas train | plan, barstow, stimulus - News - Desert Dispatch

Plan for stimulus dollars makes no mention of California to Vegas train
Comments 2 | Recommend 0
Proponents still hope to get funding
April 20, 2009 - 3:55 PM
By ABBY SEWELL, staff writer

BARSTOW • The Obama administration’s strategic plan for spending the $8 billion in stimulus funding allotted to high-speed rail projects makes no mention of a proposed rail line from Anaheim to Las Vegas that would stop in Barstow.

Project proponents are still hopeful that some of the funds may come their way.

The plan released Thursday by President Barack Obama and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood lists 10 designated high-speed rail corridors where projects are eligible to receive funding, none of which include the Anaheim to Las Vegas route.

A California corridor connecting the Bay Area with Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego is one of those listed in the plan.

In addition to the $8 billion designated for high speed rail in the stimulus plan, President Obama proposed to create a $1 billion per year grant program for high-speed rail projects.

The funding approach proposed in the strategic plan would allow stimulus dollars to be used to build “ready to go” projects with preliminary engineering and environmental work completed, to develop corridor-wide proposals, or to fund the planning process for corridors not yet ready for construction.

Bruce Aguilera, chair of the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, which is tasked with moving the Anaheim to Las Vegas train project forward, stated via email that the project proponents still plan to file a request for stimulus funds and expect to be eligible.

“We have a plan and (are) moving fast to have the first leg built during the president’s first term,” Aguilera wrote.

Lori Irving, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Department of Transportation, said projects that are not located in the existing corridors may still be eligible to compete for some of the stimulus funds.

The Barstow City Council voted March 31 to take an official stance supporting the Anaheim to Las Vegas train proposal, known as the California-Nevada Interstate Maglev Project. The proposal would involve running a high-speed train using magnetic levitation technology along the route, with stops in Ontario, Victorville, Barstow, and Primm, with its central maintenance yard to be located in Barstow.

The first leg of the project, as proposed, would run from Las Vegas to Primm, at an anticipated cost of $1.3 billion. The total cost of the 268-mile route is projected at $12 to $15 billion.

The project had already been designated for $45 million in federal funds prior to the stimulus package, but proponents need to find 20 percent matching funds before the federal money can be released.

The City Council also agreed to voice its opposition to a competing proposal, the privately funded DesertXpress, which would run from Victorville to Las Vegas without a stop in Barstow.

The transportation department is required to issue a full set of application guidelines by June 17, and the Obama administration expected to announce the first round of grant awards before the end of the summer.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or asewell@desertdispatch.com

Contra Costa Times beat the LA times in announcing that the Gold Line will have two names.

MTA approves Spanish name for Gold Line light rail Eastside extension - Los Angeles Times

MTA approves Spanish name for Gold Line light rail Eastside extension
Segment in Boyle Heights and East L.A. will be called 'la Linea de Oro, Edward R. Roybal.' The whole line, from East L.A. to Pasadena, will still be named the Gold Line.
By Hector Becerra
8:15 PM PDT, April 23, 2009
Despite some misgivings, the MTA Board of Directors voted Thursday to use a Spanish translation as the name of the Gold Line's Eastside rail extension, marking a first for the transportation agency.

The entire light rail line, which stretches from Pasadena to the eastern edge of East Los Angeles, will still be called the Gold Line.

But the segment that opens this summer, traversing Boyle Heights and East L.A., will also be named "la Linea de Oro, Edward R. Roybal" in Spanish-language MTA literature and brochures and on station signs. In English materials, that segment will be called "the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension."

It is the first time the name of an MTA facility, rail or bus line has been translated in any way from English to Spanish.

In her motion, County Supervisor Gloria Molina said that community members had asked that the rail line be referred to in Spanish, which she called a "cornerstone of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles."

But the naming has prompted debate.

Art Herrera, 72, a lifelong Boyle Heights resident and a member of the Review Advisory Committee for the Eastside extension of the Gold Line, criticized the motion.

"My kids aren't going to say, 'Dad, let's take la Linea Roja to Hollywood,' either. They're going to say, 'Let's take the Red Line,' " Herrera said. "If we go to Mexico, they're not going to change names to English. This is ludicrous."

Molina could not be reached for comment.

L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar voted to support the motion but said he was bothered there was no public input.

Maya Emsden, an MTA executive who oversees signage and the design of maps, said she did not know of any other light rail line in the country with two names, let alone in different languages. The motion also breaks ground for the MTA. "We don't translate proper nouns," Emsden said. "This is a first."

hector.becerra@latimes.com

This article argues Meg-lev train would take car traffic out of Barstow and take away business

Would a high-speed train really benefit us? | speed, high, trains - Opinion - Desert Dispatch

Would a high-speed train really benefit us?
Comments 0 | Recommend 0
April 23, 2009 - 10:41 AM
By SCOTT SHACKFORD, editor

It had been a while since the proposals for two high-speed trains passing through Barstow to Las Vegas had been in the news, but it’s not a surprise to see them under discussion again with the change in administration.

Among the many bad ideas President Barack Obama has developed in his bid to rebrand “pork” as “stimulus” is $8 billion for high-speed rail lines in various parts of the country.

A proposed rail line connecting California’s major cities is on the list. A proposed Maglev (magnetic levitation) line from Anaheim to Las Vegas is not.

So at least there are some limits to the administration’s wasteful spending, though the train’s supporters are still hoping to get funding somehow. But with the Bush administration (which wasn’t all that fiscally conservative) against it and the Obama administration looking elsewhere, we should not be holding our breath for a fancy high-tech train zooming through town anytime soon. Those embattled casinos are more likely to actually be built.

The larger question to ask though is whether these trains actually would be good for Barstow. Barstow leadership has supported the maglev project because they’ve promised a stop in town and a local facility that would provide jobs.

But how many jobs would be lost elsewhere in town if the train is successful? And what would replace those? What would happen to the gas stations and fast food stores when exhausted motorists from Los Angeles don’t need a break? What will happen to the outlet malls and the tour buses from Los Angeles? Do leaders really, really think those folks will continue to stop at our shops when they could simply, conveniently continue on to Las Vegas?

We don’t oppose the private marketplace forcing businesses to adapt to changes, even if it results in some displacement. But this is a government project, meaning we are giving the government money, which will then be used to build something to essentially make it easier for Barstow’s primary external revenue base to completely bypass us in the future.

The maglev project will benefit many people — at least the folks who get the government contracts to build it. Whether it’s a benefit to Barstow, however, is another question entirely.

NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) is not just something local; it's internatoinal,

Supreme Court convicts female Buddhist monk - INSIDE JoongAng Daily

Supreme Court convicts female Buddhist monk
Venerable Jiyul’s last appeal in the Cheonseong tunnel case falls short
April 24, 2009
A female Buddhist monk was convicted by Korea’s highest court yesterday of obstructing a government bullet train project during a long-running protest against construction of a tunnel near her temple, capping one of the most famous environmental controversies of the country.

The Supreme Court yesterday convicted Venerable Jiyul of obstructing state business. The 52-year-old monk is a member of the Jogye Order, the country’s largest Buddhist sect.

The court handed her a six-month suspended sentence and placed her on two years’ probation.

Venerable Jiyul is known for her six-year protest against the government’s plan to build a tunnel through Mount Cheonseong as a part of the Gyeongbu bullet train line. Her monastery, Naewon Temple, is located on the mountain in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang.

“Although she obstructed construction to prevent environmental destruction, her protest methods - such as physically blocking an excavator at the site - were not reasonable,” the court said. “The contractor had been granted a court injunction against her protest while her request for an injunction to stop the construction was rejected, but she continued to obstruct the construction, continuing her illegitimate action.”

After the government announced the plan to build a 13.28-kilometer (8.25-mile) tunnel through Mount Cheonseong for the bullet train network connecting Seoul and Busan, Venerable Jiyul started a series of protests, often involving creative methods.

In 2003, she undertook a 50-kilometer-long, three-steps-one-bow pilgrimage from the Busan train station to the mountain, capturing media attention. She also fasted a number of times in protest against the construction. In 2005, she fasted for about 120 days and was hospitalized with serious complications.

After fierce protests by the Buddhist monk and environmentalists, the Roh Moo-hyun administration reassessed the tunnel project, but resumed the work in 2003. Venerable Jiyul staged 24 protests at the construction site.

Prosecutors indicted her in October 2004 on charges of obstructing state business.

In 2006, the Ulsan District Court found Venerable Jiyul guilty of the charges in absentia as she repeatedly refused to appear in court. A six-month suspended jail term was handed her at the time. The court said her responsibility for obstructing the state project was serious, but did not jail her immediately, taking into account her nonviolence, lack of a previous criminal record and deteriorating health.

She appealed the ruling and made her first court appearance in January 2007 for her trial. The appeals high court upheld the initial verdict. She then appealed to the Supreme Court.

In addition to her protests at the construction site, Venerable Jiyul also participated in the high-profile class- action suit against the Korea Rail Network Authority, filed in 2003 to protect the clawed salamanders inhabiting the mountain. Saying the salamanders were a rare species living in the area, Venerable Jiyul and environmentalists demanded that the tunnel project be scrapped.

In 2006, the Supreme Court denied the environmentalists’ request to bar construction, ending the two years and eight months of controversy that became known as the “salamander class-action suit.” After three delays, work resumed at the mountain as environmentalists and the government agreed to a joint survey of environmental impact. The delays cost the builder 14.5 billion won ($10.8 million). The tunnel is scheduled to be completed in 2010.


By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]

It's official. The Gold Line has two names.

Metro Gold Line to have 2 names - in English and Spanish - ContraCostaTimes.com

Metro Gold Line to have 2 names - in English and Spanish
Daily News Wire Services
Posted: 04/23/2009 02:50:28 PM PDT
Updated: 04/23/2009 02:51:34 PM PDT




When the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension light rail train begins running from downtown to East Los Angeles this summer, it will have two names -- one in English and one in Spanish, county supervisors decided today.

Supervisor and Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member Gloria Molina, who represents the largely Spanish-speaking East Los Angeles area, proposed naming the line in Spanish, which would make it the first Metro route to have a Spanish name.

Her proposal passed without comment, but was then reconsidered at the request of Los Angeles City Councilman and board member Jose Huizar, who wanted to refer the naming to a committee to generate more public input.

But rather than revisit the prickly issue of whether government agencies should use languages other than English, after nearly 20 minutes of intense discussion, the Metro board decided to give the route a double name -- the "Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line" in English, and "La Linea de Oro, Edward R. Roybal" in Spanish.

Roybal was a Hispanic politician from Los Angeles who served for 30 years in the Legislature and 13 years on the City Council. He died in 2005 at age 89.

As for the signs along the Gold Line itself, "All of the station signs, I'm fairly confident, have been fabricated at this point," a Metro staffer told the board. She promised to report on the matter later.

WSJ article sited in EcoGeek blog

Spain's Bullet Train Changes Nation -- and Fast - WSJ.com

By THOMAS CATAN

CIUDAD REAL, Spain -- To sell his vision of a high-speed train network to the American public, President Barack Obama this week cited Spain, a country most people don't associate with futuristic bullet trains.

View Full Image
Spain's system of 218-mile-an-hour bullet trains, the AVE[mdash ]meaning 'bird' in Spanish[mdash ]has increased mobility for many residents, though critics say it has come at the expense of less-glamorous forms of transportation.
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Spain's system of 218-mile-an-hour bullet trains, the AVE -- meaning 'bird' in Spanish -- has increased mobility for many residents, though critics say it has come at the expense of less-glamorous forms of transportation.
Spain's system of 218-mile-an-hour bullet trains, the AVE[mdash ]meaning 'bird' in Spanish[mdash ]has increased mobility for many residents, though critics say it has come at the expense of less-glamorous forms of transportation.
Spain's system of 218-mile-an-hour bullet trains, the AVE[mdash ]meaning 'bird' in Spanish[mdash ]has increased mobility for many residents, though critics say it has come at the expense of less-glamorous forms of transportation.

Yet the country is on track to bypass France and Japan to have the world's biggest network of ultrafast trains by the end of next year, figures from the International Union of Railways and the Spanish government show.

The growth of the Alta Velocidad Española, or AVE, high-speed rail network is having a profound effect on life in Spain. Many Spaniards are fiercely attached to their home regions and studies show they are unusually reluctant to live or even travel elsewhere.

But those centuries-old habits are starting to change as Spain stitches its disparate regions together with a €100 billion ($130 billion) system of bullet trains designed to traverse the countryside at up to 218 miles an hour.

"We Spaniards didn't used to move around much," says José María Menéndez, who heads the civil engineering department at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. "Now I can't make my students sit still for one second. The AVE has radically changed this generation's attitude to travel."

View Interactive
High-Speed Frenzy

See details of Spain's ambitious plans.

Spain opened its first high-speed line, between Madrid and Seville, in 1992. At the time, the decision to run the line to sleepy Seville, host to the World Expo that year, was deeply controversial. Critics said it would be a costly failure for then-Prime Minister Felipe González, and that he built the line just to take him to Seville, his hometown, on the weekends.

But the AVE-which means "bird" in Spanish- proved to be a popular and political success. Politicians now fight to secure stations in their districts. Political parties compete to offer ever-more ambitious expansion plans. Under the latest blueprint, nine out of ten Spaniards will live within 31 miles of a high speed rail station by 2020.

By last year, the sprawling network of lines that stretches out from the capital, Madrid, reached Málaga in the south, Valladolid to the north and Barcelona in the country's northeast. Now, residents of Barcelona can be in Madrid in just over two-and-a-half hours-a journey that takes around six hours by car.

In the year since the Madrid-Barcelona line opened in February 2008, the AVE, costing passengers roughly the same as what they would pay to fly, has snatched half the route's air-passenger traffic.

"We had expected it to be mostly business travelers on this line," says Julio Hermida, a spokesman for Renfe, the state train operator. "But we're finding it's just as busy on the weekends," as Barcelona residents discover Madrid and vice-versa, despite a long-lived rivalry between the two cities. "To some extent, it's changing the way people think about each other."

Not everyone is pleased. ETA, the militant Basque separatist group, has said it would target anyone involved in the construction of a high-speed train line that will connect the restive northern region with Madrid and France. In December, ETA killed the owner of a company working as a contractor on the project, and in February detonated a bomb at the headquarters of Ferrovial SA, another contractor working on the project.

Other, nonviolent critics say the country's massive investment in high speed rail has come at the expense of other, less-glamorous forms of transportation. Starved of funds, Spain's antiquated freight-train network has fallen into disuse, forcing businesses to move their goods around by road. That means the Spanish economy is unusually sensitive to changes in the price of crude oil.

Critics say the AVE will never stop losing money. Even its backers say high-speed rail can only be economical if the state bears much of the construction costs. But they say the train's benefits-lower greenhouse-gas emissions, less road congestion and, in Spain's case, greater social cohesion and economic mobility-make it an investment worth making.

"The country is becoming far more intertwined," says José María Ureña, a professor of city and regional planning at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. "In a country that tends to separate out somewhat, that can only be a good thing."

The AVE was originally designed to compete with the airplane for commutes between major cities around 300 miles apart. But the biggest, and least expected, effect of the AVE has been on the smaller places in between.

Perhaps the most striking example is Ciudad Real, a scrappy town 120 miles south of Madrid in Castilla-La Mancha which, Mr. Ureña says, "had completely vanished from the map." In medieval times, the town was a key stopover point on the route between the two of most important cities of the time, Córdoba and Toledo. But the railway and the highway south later bypassed the town, and Ciudad Real began to wither.

Now it has an AVE station that puts it just 50 minutes away from Madrid, and Ciudad Real has come alive. The city has attracted a breed of daily commuters that call themselves "Avelinos." The AVE helped attract a host of industries to Ciudad Real, and the train is full in both directions.

Indra, an information technology company, moved a "software factory" to Ciudad Real a decade ago. "Along with the University, the AVE was one of the key reasons we moved here," says Ángel Villodre, the director of the center.

The University of Castilla-La Mancha's campus here has grown sharply in size and importance. "The school is here because of the AVE," says Mr. Menéndez, the department head. "Without it, it would be impossible to attract the high-level staff we need."

Around a third of Mr. Menéndez's students are from a different region of Spain -- almost unheard of in a country where students mostly stay close to home.

Airlines have in the past lobbied hard against high-speed rail projects, seeing them as unfair, government-subsidized competition. Southwest Airlines was credited with helping to kill a project to build a Texan bullet train in the 1990s.

But in Ciudad Real, an international airport has just opened its doors. Its key selling point? The AVE. The private owners of the airport have placed it next to the high speed line, hoping to offer a cheap alternative to Madrid's airports.

"If you can't beat them, join them," shrugs José Lopes, director of airlines development at Aeropuerto Central.

Spain's high-speed rail, AVE, sighted as a model for California

EcoGeek - Clean Technology

Spain’s Bullet Train Bringing People Together

Spain has got a lot of green going on – tons of solar, tons of wind and a bullet train. If you are American and you are unfamiliar with bullet trains… it’s probably because we don’t have any. Spain does, though, as do other European countries and Japan. Bullet trains are simply high speed trains that offer a convenient alternative to flying.

Spain’s bullet train is called Alta Velocidad Española, or AVE (Spanish for “bird”, which makes for nice imagery). It can travel at speeds up to 218 mph and it spans a huge corridor from Barcelona to Madrid to Seville. The AVE is a work still in progress and, if all goes according to plan, 90% of the Spanish population will live within 31 miles of an AVE station.

As this WSJ article reports(see next entry), the AVE has tremendously affected life for many Spaniards. Traditionally, Spain has been a country where people stayed close to home when it came to college and jobs. Now, many people are moving into towns that were once dying out because those towns have AVE stations. Colleges in such towns can attract more students and qualified professors. Businesses start up. All because of the connectivity.

Of course, it should be noted that not everyone in Spain is happy that the government is pouring money into the AVE project. After all, the country’s economy is slumping, and it will take a long time, if ever, to make back the money being spent.

Still, it’s worth considering the train’s merits, especially as we ponder over the possibility of building our own high speed rail in California. And wouldn’t it be fitting if California, which owes much of its history to the Spanish, drew Spanish inspiration for its trains as well?

Koretz and Vahedi Debate: transportation issues highlighted

Streetsblog » Koretz and Vahedi Debate Transportation and More at UCLA

Koretz and Vahedi Debate Transportation and More at UCLA


by Ted Rogers on April 23, 2009

Since Ted Rogers has done a better job covering the CD5 Council Race than I anyway, I thought why not make it official. For the rest of his coverage, check out Biking in LA.

Call it the once and future debate.

This past Monday night, David Vahedi and Paul Koretz — the candidates running to replace Jack Weiss as council person representing L.A.’s 5th Council District — met in a debate on the UCLA campus.

Hosted by the appropriately named Bruins for Traffic Relief, the event was co-sponsored by ABC7 and Manatt Phelps & Philips, LLC, with an assist from the League of Women Voters, and mediated by ABC7’s Adrienne Alpert.

Vahedi called for a Metro Park and Ride system that would travel down the 405, connecting Valley residents to job sites in Century City and along the Wilshire corridor, as well as city-owned parking facilities near other major transit lines. Koretz recommended an overhaul of the city transportation plan, saying that instead of spending billions to build subways, the city should look into innovative above-ground options, such as an advanced personalized rapid transit system — something Alpert characterized as a fantasy plan, drawing the biggest laugh of the night.

Alpert asked both candidates for their top three priorities for spending stimulus funds; Koretz listed transportation, infrastructure and affordable housing. Vahedi suggested sufficient hospitals, mass transit and schools, as well as funding additional scholarship programs.

The debate will be televised on ABC7 this May, on a date to be determined.

Metrolink will vote on whether to strap riders with a 4.5-percent fare increase on Friday

Metrolink commuter fares could go up

Metrolink commuter fares could go up
Action by SoCal MTA system helps drive the request for higher fares, according to Metrolink

The board that oversees Metrolink will vote on whether to strap riders with a 4.5-percent fare increase on Friday.

Francisca Rivas (The Signal)

By Brian Charles
Signal Staff Writer
bcharles@the-signal.com
661-259-1234 x517
Posted: April 22, 2009 10:16 p.m.
Updated: April 23, 2009 4:55 a.m.


Commuters who rely on Metrolink for transportation could soon be faced with an increase in fares.

The board that oversees Metrolink will vote on whether to strap riders with a 4.5-percent fare increase on Friday.

If approved by the Southern California Regional Railroad Agency, the fare hike would drive the cost of a monthly commuter pass from Santa Clarita Station to Union Station from $211.25 to $222.50. The increased revenue will offset the cost of transfers from Metrolink trains to all of the Los Angeles County transit operators, said Francisco Oaxaca, Metrolink spokesman.

It also will help pay for the rising cost to operate Metrolink, he said.

"In the past, Metrolink passengers could use passes to transfer to any other transit system at no cost to the riders," Oaxaca said. But that didn't mean that the transfer rides were free of charge.

Every three months county transit systems send Metrolink a bill for the transferred passenger-rides, he said. Metrolink budgeted $6.4 million to pay for transfers in fiscal year 2008-09 and will come close to spending that amount, Oaxaca said.

With Los Angeles County transit operators agreeing to raise transfer fares by 60 percent, the free rides may be over, Oaxaca said. In the future, Metrolink riders could pay 30 percent of the transfer cost to ride buses and light rail throughout L.A. County, Oaxaca said.

The other 70 percent still falls on commuters in the form of the 4.5-percent fare increase, said Tony Bell, spokesman for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich. Bell blames the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which he said tossed its weight around to drive through the transfer-fare increase.

"In the sense that they are the largest player, they (the MTA) do have the greatest influence," Oaxaca said.
The MTA influence tips the balance of power in regional transit planning in favor of the city of Los Angeles and often leaves the suburban commuter stuck with the bill, Bell said.

"This is routine. The city of Los Angeles and its four reps on the MTA board walk lock-step with the mayor," Bell said. "It's like a poker game with one player holding four aces."

Additionally, the MTA and other Los Angeles County transit agencies are burdening Metrolink with complications and extra costs, Oaxaca said.

These include a transit-access-pass system that replaced paper tickets with reusable plastic cards that are scanned a deduct money charged to the cards, said David Sotero, MTA spokesman. The same technology is scheduled to come to light rail by early 2010, he said.

In the same time period, Metrolink will give free transit-access-pass cards to its 10-trip and monthly-pass customers and will add transit-access-pass dispensers at some of its high-passenger-volume stations, Oaxaca said.

Metrolink will absorb the cost of the machines and of giving out the free cards, Oaxaca said. The price of the program has not been determined, he said.

The Metrolink board meets 10 a.m. on Friday at 818 West 7th Street Los Angeles on 12th floor in the San Bernadino Conference Room.

Another article about calling the Gold Line extention the "Linea de Oro." How hot a topic will this become?

Gold Line Eastside Extenion: Let's Call it la Linea de Oro - LAist: Los Angeles News, Food, Arts & Events

County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Gloria Molina wants to offiicially rename the Edward R. Roybal Gold Line Eastside Extension to its direct Spanish translation: la linea de oro, Edward R. Roybal. That's because the communities it serves are more than 95% Latino. The Metro board will vote on the matter today, a couple months short of the line's expected grand opening.

Save money on your Utility Bills??

Are You Eligible to Save 20% or More on Your Utility Bills? - LAist: Los Angeles News, Food, Arts & Events

Long standing programs to help low-income individuals and families save money on their utility bills and to purchase energy-efficient appliances and equipment are not totally being taken advantage of by 900,000 Californians. That's why this week utility companies like Southern California Edison and LADWP are making an effort to push these programs. Basically, if your total household has a total income of less than a certain amount, you're eligible (see a chart and info here). And it's not based on last year's tax returns or any of that--if you recently lost your job, then your income is zero. Qualifying people can receive a 20 percent discount on their utility bills for electricity and gas. Another program will install energy-efficient appliances and equipment at no cost to eligible customers. And hey renters, this is for you, too.

Westside Subway Meeting Wrap-Up

Westside Subway Meeting Wrap-Up « TheBremnerGroup’s Neighborhood Notes

Westside Subway Meeting Wrap-Up

April 22, 2009 at 9:31 pm · Filed under Community Bulletins, Uncategorized and tagged: Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Community Bulletins, Consumer Services, Little Holmby, Westwood



Thanks to Curbed LA for providing the following minutes of the most recent Purple Line Subway meeting:

Last night was the fourth meeting in the latest round of public scoping gatherings for the extension of the Purple Line, the Jimi Hendrix Line, subway, which is now in the midst of an environmental study, one of the necessary steps before construction. Last night’s meeting at the Presbyterian Church on Westwood updated the public on the status of the mega-project and issues like station placement, parking, and construction, all things being considered by the folks conducting the draft environmental report, which should be completed in a little over a year. After that is engineering, design, construction, and finally transit service; construction could begin in 2013, and service to Fairfax Avenue could start in 2016. But many things remain undecided, and these meetings provide an opportunity for the public to weigh in. In the meantime, don’t be alarmed if you soon witness contractors conducting soil boring operations.

The two subway options being studied:
-A straight shot down Wilshire, save for a stop in Century City ($6.1 billion)
-Same as above, but a WeHo spur that runs along Santa Monica Boulevard, and down either La Cienega or San Vicente Boulevards ($9 billion)

Measure R will provide about $4 billion for the project, which will pay to start the extension, a project that will open in phases. Those phases:
-If everything goes as planned, construction could begin in 2013 and an extension to Fairfax could open by 2016.
-The next phase would bring the subway to Century City; no timetable yet because federal/state funding most likely needed for this part.
-Third phase would bring the subway near or past the 405. The hope is to build Westwood and a West LA station, with the thought that a West LA station will get people from Santa Monica to take the subway, since most wouldn’t drive to the Westwood station, which would require crossing the congested 405 area
-Fourth phase could build out the WeHo line and connect it to the Purple Line in Beverly Hills
-The other alternatives are building out the entire “subway to the sea” with a terminus on 4th Street, near the 3rd Street Promenade, and near the Expo Line terminus
-The dream alternative is a full “subway to the sea” that includes the WeHo spur

Jody Litvak, who handles regional communications for the extension, discussed some interesting points:
-The Crenshaw station might get the boot; right now it’s being studied whether it’s necessary
-The West LA station was always thought to be at Bundy, now Barrington and Wilshire is being considered since it’s more high-density
-The Century City station may be on Santa Monica Blvd., or closer to the heart of Century City
-Westwood station will either be on Wilshire or closer to UCLA campus
-A WeHo station could either be at Santa Monica Blvd. and La Cienega, or Santa Monica Blvd. and San Vicente
-Decking will probably be used on Wilshire during construction, meaning a temporary road will be constructed (probably during the night and on weekends) that will allow vehicular traffic on Wilshire while the subway is being built underneath. This was used in the Red Line construction to Hollywood
-There will be quarterly updates until the final environmental report statement is issued in 2010, and then there will be station area planning meetings

Public comments:
-Almost universally positive and supportive. Suggestions included a big parking lot in Westwood. There was also a push for a 405 light-rail line that connects with the Purple Line.
-One woman was concerned about the water table under Wilshire, and still hoped the subway would follow Santa Monica Blvd. the entire way (probably not gonna happen).
-One guy produced his own map of his dream LA subway system and then went on to declare his love for Litvak, saying she just wants to help people by building the subway. It seemed at one point that he was going to propose to Litvak.

In this article: stimulus monies at work and a sign of increasing coverage of State's proposed high-speed rail

Sacramento railyard makeover finally in motion - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento railyard makeover finally in motion
ShareThis
By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 1A

For years, it seemed nothing would happen in the barren space that is the downtown railyard. Today, Sacramento finally sees the launch of a much-awaited makeover of the massive downtown railyard site.

Crews begin laying the base for three major roads and two bridges in downtown Sacramento's northwest corner, setting in motion what developers say will be the biggest urban infill project in the country.

"This is a historic moment," said Suheil Totah, the Sacramento head for Atlanta-based railyard owner Thomas Enterprises. "This is the beginning of the future of (downtown) Sacramento."

But, in keeping with the project's history of fits and starts, today's launch remains shadowed by financial uncertainty.

To start construction, the Thomas development company was forced to front funds by leveraging some of its properties in other parts of the country, representatives said.

But it's counting on tens of millions of dollars in promised state infrastructure bond funds to keep the project on track, and more in city and federal funds this year.

"The sooner, the better," Totah said Wednesday after a nail-biting winter when the state, in a budget crisis, froze funding for this and other projects.

State officials recently began selling bonds to finance projects. The railyard was identified Wednesday among the California projects that will receive their promised funding; however, state finance officials said that money won't start flowing for at least a month.

The Thomas company will host a formal groundbreaking ceremony today for what is expected to be a 20-year community-building project.

When done, officials say, the 240-acre site will nearly double downtown's size. It will be home to thousands of residents, hundreds of businesses, anchored by a major train and transit center, possibly including bullet trains to Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

And, although a basketball arena is not currently part of the plan, some officials hope the centrally located redevelopment site may yet be a future home for the Kings.

The project's first phases involve constructing extensions of Fifth and Sixth streets and two bridges over the Amtrak and freight rail tracks.

Developers also plan to build the site's major east-west road – Railyards Boulevard – connecting a rebuilt Jibboom Street to the west and Seventh Street to the east.

Work has to start now, despite the down economy and uncertain financing, so the developer and the city can meet a $20 million deadline in December.

The foundations of the two bridges need to be in place by then so the city can begin moving the passenger and freight tracks to a new site in the railyard.

The federal government appears poised to forward $20 million in economic stimulus funds for that move, if the project is ready to start by December.

City officials have their fingers crossed.

"Everything hinges on the track relocation," the city's Fran Halbakken said.

The prognosis is so minute-by-minute that even as Totah was touring the construction site Wednesday, he was receiving funding updates from Halbakken on his BlackBerry.

Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, said Wednesday that she is pleased that construction finally will begin. She believes that the project financing "is going to be OK" but warned that she and other government officials must continue to push to make sure that the project doesn't stall.

"Everybody has to keep their eye on the ball," Matsui said. "We have to keep it going because if it stops, it is difficult to get it going again."

So far, $288 million in public funds from local, state and federal sources has been authorized for the project's roads and utilities, as well as the track move and a new transit facility at the south end of the railyard – an indication of the project's economic importance to the city and state.

City officials have not yet decided what role the existing historic train depot will play when the tracks are moved a few hundred feet north but say they intend to keep the depot in some way a part of the new transit center.

Despite the promise of government funds, and support from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the downturn has made it difficult for builders to say how fast construction can move.

"If funds are available, you can be driving here by next year," said Elias Rashmawi of Thomas development.

It doesn't mean there will be much reason to drive through the railyard for a few more years, until businesses begin to arrive, he acknowledged.

Once Fifth and Sixth streets are connected to downtown, workers are expected to begin rehabilitating the locomotive shops on site.

The shop building nearest to Fifth Street is planned to become a farmers market, similar to the Ferry Building in San Francisco and the Oxbow Market in Napa. Thomas Enterprises representatives say they are in talks with the developer of those two Bay Area projects.

When asked this week, project officials said there is still room on site for a professional basketball arena.

Earlier site plans had included an arena, but those were tossed aside after voters rejected a public-financing plan. The National Basketball Association currently is working with state officials on a plan to build an arena at Cal Expo, but Totah of Thomas Enterprises says his company is open to reconsideration of an arena on its site.

"We'd be very interested in including it," Totah said Wednesday. "We can still do that."

His company faces another potential stumbling block.

Two years ago, it agreed to sell the lower 33 acres of the site to the city for its transit center. The sides, however, are far apart on a price.

The dispute is scheduled for arbitration this summer.

Supervisor Gloria Molina wants Gold Line extention called "La Linea de Oro."

Molina urges Spanish name for Eastside rail extension - Los Angeles Times

Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
Supervisor Gloria Molina backs a motion to call Eastside Gold Line extension la Linea de Oro, Edward R. Roybal.

Molina urges Spanish name for Eastside rail extension
Eastside rail route.

Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

Supervisor Gloria Molina backs a motion to call Eastside Gold Line extension la Linea de Oro, Edward R. Roybal.
Supervisor seeks to recognize Spanish-speaking communities and Latino lawmaker by naming the route la Linea de Oro, Edward R. Roybal.
By Hector Becerra
6:46 PM PDT, April 22, 2009

When light rail returns to the Eastside neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles this summer, many Spanish speaking residents will undoubtedly talk about taking el tren.

But will commuters say they are riding la Linea de Oro?

Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina will propose during an MTA board meeting today that the Eastside extension of the Gold Line be officially named La Linea de Oro, Edward R. Roybal.

If the motion is approved, it would be the first time the name of an MTA facility, rail or bus line will be translated from English to Spanish, MTA spokesman Jose Ubaldo said.

In her motion, Molina says that the Spanish language has been a "cornerstone of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles" and that several community members asked that the rail line be referred to in Spanish, as well as honor the late Latino congressman, who grew up in Boyle Heights.

Molina could not be reached for comment.

The communities of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles are more than 95% Latino, with a huge Spanish-speaking population.

Lupe Bojorquez, 59, a Neighborhood Watch captain, said she has talked in the past with Molina about naming the Eastside stretch of the rail la Linea de Oro.

"I think it would be a nice gesture if it was named in Spanish," Bojorquez said.

Although a date has not been set, the Gold Line extension -- or la Linea de Oro -- is expected to open as early as June.

hector.becerra@latimes.com

Glendale's Najarian is also poised to become chairman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in June.

Glendale News Press > Politics

Final tally puts Najarian on top

Provisional and absentee ballots put him 236 votes in front of newcomer Laura Friedman.
By Jason Wells
Published: Last Updated Monday, April 20, 2009 10:57 PM PDT
CITY HALL — Councilman Ara Najarian overtook (won) Councilwoman Laura Friedman as the top vote-getter in the April 7 citywide election after officials counted the 2,225 provisional and late vote-by-mail ballots Friday.

Najarian is also poised to become chairman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in June. The top position comes at a time when the agency is preparing to divvy billions in federal stimulus and Measure R funding to county cities.

“There’s just a huge amount of money that’s flowing through the county for transportation,” he said, adding that it would be his job “to make sure Glendale’s needs are not overlooked.”

The last Glendale representative to serve as MTA chairman was former Mayor Larry Zarian, who was later appointed to the California Transportation Commission.

Antonvich wants northern LA county to have representation on the MTA board.

Antonovich pushes for SCV, AV rep on MTA Board

Antonovich pushes for SCV, AV rep on MTA Board



Source: Office of Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich
Los Angeles County, 5th District
Posted: April 22, 2009 3:38 p.m.
Updated: April 22, 2009 3:43 p.m.

SACRAMENTO - Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich testified before the State Assembly Local Government Committee today in support of a proposal to add an additional member to the Metropolitan Transit Authority's Board of Directors to represent the fast-growing Antelope and Santa Clarita Valleys and develop vital public transit and highway policies.

Antonovich said that Assembly Bill 251, authored by Assemblyman Steve Knight (R- Palmdale), would ensure that the county's northern areas had effective representation on a Board currently dominated by the city of Los Angeles and four representatives who vote in lockstep with Mayor Villaraigosa.

"Our county's regional transportation system is being gambled away in a poker game where one special interest group is always holding four aces," Antonovich said. "Assembly Bill 251 will ensure that the Antelope and Santa Clarita Valleys will have a greater voice in how the MTA initiates projects and allocates funding."

High speed rail critic raises the issue of funding

GilroyDispatch.com | Letters: The real truth about the bullet train and its cost isn't being reported

Letters: The real truth about the bullet train and its cost isn't being reported
9:48 AM
By The Community

The real truth about the bullet train and its cost isn't being reported

Dear Editor,

Running Bullet Train down the U.S. 101 median is baloney bunk. We're missing the point - who's going to pay for it? Supersonic Jet costs are much cheaper, if you include all costs and don't use the bait-and-switch accounting methods of the Valley Transportation Authority or the San Benito Council off Governments. Use legal accounting to see truth in transport.

Second, even if you do find someone stupid enough to pay for it - $1 to $4 billion annual operating losses, plus construction costs now estimated at $81 billion - how do you get past Union Pacific Railroad's property? Unless we're now going to nationalize the American railroads, you don't without the UPRR's permission.

Why in hell aren't you reporting the true story? Your readers deserve much better. Let's have truth in transportation.

Joe Thompson, Gilroy

An argument for high-speed rail

It's the fact track for high-speed trains - Opinion

It's the fact track for high-speed trains
Ian Jacobs
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: Opinion


America's train system has been traveling in slow motion for too long.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama unveiled a plan to build high-speed rail across the country. The plan calls for $8 billion in stimulus funding, along with a request for $5 billion more over the next five years, to be spent on building new high-speed railroads to connect 10 corridors the government as branded, including a San Francisco-Los Angeles line.

California is already eager to get to work, having passed a $10 billion bond issue for high-speed rail last November.

The construction of high-speed rail throughout the United States is long over due. Japan first built it in the '60s for the Olympics and Europe finished theirs in the late '70s.

It's a sad state of affairs that this country is planning for high-speed rail now, a year away from 2010. By the time the first bullet train is ready to ride, it will be over five decades since Japans was completed.

That's a pathetic statistic.

The high-speed rail will come with the green movement that's sweeping the nation.

People find it hard to argue with Obama's idea, due to growing road congestion, the constant ebb and flow of gas prices and growing awareness of global warming being so prevalent. Transportation officials across the country are jumping for joy and looking at possible cities they can make bullet train connections with.

Opponents argue that building high-speed rail is pointless and a waste of money because trains in America are rarely used, but with faster travel over long distances, this argument will be moot. It will be hard to argue against a comfortable and quick train ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco, around two and a half hours at top speeds of 220 mph. With less hassle than getting onto a plane, or the six-hour car ride down Interstate Highway 5, high-speed rail will have a good chance to compete against air travel.

It is an exciting time for transportation in America. If car companies can get their act together and start producing the hybrid vehicles and solar panels become prevalent throughout our country, the U.S. should get back on the right track.
Pag

10 rountes get stimulus money for high-speed rail

RTTNews - Latest Earnings,Upcoming Earnings, Pos Pre Announcements, Pos Pre Announcements , Positive Surprises, Negative Surprises, Hot Stocks, Stock Split Calendar, Stock Buybacks, Dividends, Negative, Positive PreAnnouncements,Surprises ....

Obama Announces Regional Finalists For High-Speed Railway
4/16/2009 10:48 AM ET
(RTTNews) - President Barack Obama unveiled his plan for a high-speed railway system Thursday, naming regional finalists for the advanced transportation system. Obama noted that while Americans still like their cars, improved public transportation could allow the country to catch up with other nations, like Japan, who already use the technology.

"High-speed rail is long-overdue, and this plan lets American travelers know that they are not doomed to a future of long lines at the airports or jammed cars on the highways," Obama said.

Making the announcement before he heads to Mexico as part of a four-day jaunt in Central and South America, Obama revealed that $8 billion of economic recovery funds will be dedicated to the plan, along with $1 billion a year for the next five years as a "down payment" on a future passenger-rail system. The first round of grants will be awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration by late summer 2009.

Obama, along with Vice President Biden and Secretary LaHood, announced the finalists for the high-speed railway: California, Pacific Northwest, South Central, Gulf Coast, Chicago Hub Network, Florida, Southeast, Keystone, Empire and Northern New England.

"Everyone knows railways are the best way to connect communities to each other, and as a daily rail commuter for over 35 years, this announcement is near and dear to my heart," Biden said. "Investing in a high-speed rail system will lower our dependence on foreign oil and the bill for a tank of gas; loosen the congestion suffocating our highways and skyways; and significantly reduce the damage we do to our planet."
Also, opportunities exist for the Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston to compete for funds to improve the nation's only existing high-speed rail service, the White House said.

With the high-speed railway, a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles would take around 2.5 hours, Obama said.

"We must start developing clean, energy-efficient transportation that will define our regions for centuries to come," said President Obama. "A major new high-speed rail line will generate many thousands of construction jobs over several years, as well as permanent jobs for rail employees and increased economic activity in the destinations these trains serve."

The systems would mirror those in Europe and Japan, where high-speed railways are a common form of transportations.

"President Obama's vision of robust, high-speed rail service offers Americans the kind of travel options that throughout our history have contributed to economic growth and enhanced quality of life," said Secretary LaHood. "We simply can't build the economy of the future on the transportation networks of the past."

by RTT Staff Writer

For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com

More meetings for the South Bay transit corridor

MTA to discuss South Bay transit corridor - The Daily Breeze

MTA to discuss South Bay transit corridor
From staff reports
Posted: 04/21/2009 06:43:59 PM PDT

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will continue public hearings over the next two weeks - including tonight in Redondo Beach - to gather comments about a public transit line that will run through parts of the South Bay.

Metro officials are evaluating the possibility of using a 26-mile-long freight rail corridor as a Bus Rapid Transit system, a light rail line or dedicated bus lanes.

The corridor stretches through El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Lawndale, Torrance and Carson.

The corridor could help link downtown to Los Angeles International Airport and Long Beach via a C-shaped curve through the county.

The first meeting was held Tuesday night. The second will be at 6 p.m. tonight at the Redondo Beach Main Library, 303 Pacific Coast Highway.

Another meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday at Inglewood City Hall, 1 Manchester Blvd., in the community room.

The eyes of the city on traffic and how they 'help' keep it moving.....

Click here to learn about the eyes of the city--Muhahaha

How to get your favorite cut of beef with karate

One effect of rail: land around stations goes up in value

Bullet train brings hope for Beijing's faltering housing market

Bullet train brings hope for Beijing's faltering housing market
www.bjd.com.cn Updated:2009-04-03 09:32 Editor:Xi xiaodi

作者:


A new bullet train service between Beijing and China's "coal capital" Taiyuan was launched Wednesday, offering hope of a boost to the Beijing's sluggish real estate market.

The No.D2002 CRH train left Taiyuan, in Shanxi Province, at 8:31 a.m., and hit a maximum speed of 250-km per hour to reach Beijing 2 hours and 59 minutes later, cutting five hours from the rail journey.

Eight CRH services will operate daily on the route, which could bring up to 4,976 more passengers and a glimmer of hope to Beijing's real estate market, which suffered a 33.4 percent year-on-year drop in investment during January and February to about 12 billion yuan (1.76 billion U.S. dollars).

Shanxi Province, the largest coal production base in China, also "produces" wealthy coal industry home buyers.

Pan Shiyi, chairman of property developer SOHO China, said Shanxi people had invested 700 million yuan, buying up 50 percent of its two largest residential projects in Beijing.

"The new bullet train saves time for Shanxi people coming to Beijing, and could motivate them to move here for a more developed cityscape, and for better education opportunities for their children," said Pan.

Chen Yunfeng, secretary-general of China Realtors' Collaboration, a non-profit guild of China's real estate industry, said, "Shanxi people have a tradition of investing, and they may grasp this as a golden opportunity as the real estate market is in a downturn now. We could see the benefits in, at most, three months after the new bullet train starts service."

However, many coal mine operators in Shanxi live far from Taiyuan, where the train departs, including a coal mine owner surnamed Li.

"It takes me four hours to get from my hometown in Changzhi to Taiyuan, so I'd rather drive to Beijing or take a plane," said Li. "I am willing to buy property in Beijing not because of the new bullet train, but because of its potential to grow in value."
[source:china daily]

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Opposing view on running a high-speed train down 101

MorganHillTimes.com | Agree with one part of letter, disagree with everything else

Despite where the Bullet Train runs, how does it get past UP tracks?

Dear Editor,

Running the Bullet Train down the U.S. 101 median is B.S. Baloney Bunk. You're missing the point: Who's going to pay for it? A supersonic jet costs are much cheaper, if you include all costs (don't use VTA-COG accounting to report truth in transportation. Use legal accounting to see truth in transport.)

Second, even if you do find someone stupid enough to pay for the its $1 to $4 billion annual operating losses, plus construction costs now estimated at $81 billion, how do you get past Union Pacific Railroad's property? Unless we're now going to nationalize the American railroads, you don't without the UPRR's permission.

Joe Thompson, Hollister

Japan's slowing economy brings lower ridership on high-speed trains

JR Central Bullet Train Traffic Falls for Fifth Straight Month - Bloomberg.com

JR Central Bullet Train Traffic Falls for Fifth Straight Month


By Chris Cooper

April 21 (Bloomberg) -- Central Japan Railway Co., the country’s largest operator of bullet trains, posted a fifth straight monthly drop in high-speed train passengers in March as companies slashed travel amid the deepest recession in over three decades.

The railway operator, dependent on bullet train travel for about 70 percent of its sales, had 6 percent fewer high-speed rail passengers last month, spokeswoman Michiko Ishizu said in a telephone interview in Tokyo today. It had an 11 percent drop for high-speed train passengers from April 1 to April 20, she said.

JR Central, as the company is also known, has said profit fell in the fiscal year ended March 31 amid less demand for travel as banks slash costs and manufacturers cut production and jobs. The railway operator had a 10 percent drop in bullet train passengers in February, the most since March 1995.

JR Central rose 0.4 percent to 559,000 yen at the close of trading in Tokyo today. It is down 28 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Cooper in Tokyo at ccooper1@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: April 21, 2009 02:55 EDT

Another critique of what high-speed rail is supposed to offer

High-speed rail plan on track to Nowheresville - BostonHerald.com

High-speed rail plan on track to Nowheresville
By Guy Darst
Sunday, April 19, 2009 - Updated 1d 15h ago



Ah, the eternal allure of fast trains.

President Obama painted a glowing picture last week in what he called his plan for that $8 billion in stimulus money reserved for high-speed rail. Alas, he repeated several myths that aren’t supported by the facts.

Actually, it’s not so much a plan as a statement of intention to plan and to finance planning. The only money being released (no amount specified) will be for shovel-ready projects (including purchase of equipment and infrastructure) that have completed preliminary engineering and all environmental review. It’s doubtful there are many like that.

Truth be told, high-speed rail is mind-bogglingly expensive; the European trains so praised by the president all eat large subsidies (about $88 billion per year overall). The $8 billion in stimulus money and the $1 billion a year (which isn’t much!) proposed in the president’s budget for the next five years wouldn’t pay for even a third of the $45 billion line California wants to build to connect the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas.

The president said high-speed rail would relieve highways and airways “clogged with traffic.” Despite their splendid trains, Europeans drive almost as much as we do. If congestion is the problem, Obama ought to focus on renovating some of the freight railroad bottlenecks. That would draw many trucks away from truly clogged highways at a reasonable cost.

High-speed rail is supposed to produce fewer earth-warming gases. This is hard to believe - unless the trains are to be powered by electricity generated from nuclear reactors and hydroelectric plants. Amtrak and private automobiles emit about the same amount of carbon dioxide per passenger mile.

Travelers have been sold this rug over and over. Remember the claims for Acela? It ambles from New Haven to New York City (about a third of the journey from Boston to New York) slower than the best trains of 1951.

We await projects showing reasonable costs and subsidies. Such projects will be few and far between.
Guy Darst is a former deputy editorial page editor at The Boston Herald.

Link to Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisqatsi, the movie

The Wikipedia article

More letters to the editor

High-Speed Train Reactions - Letters and Comments (usnews.com)

High-Speed Train Reactions
April 17, 2009 05:36 PM ET | Permanent Link | Print

Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time overseas will have noticed, and probably appreciated, the availability of inexpensive and convenient rail travel ["What Do You Think of Obama's Plans For High-Speed Railways?" usnews.com]. It is about time that we incorporate this mode into our travel mix. This form of travel is ideal for dual-tasking (many folks work from portable computing devices during their rail travel). Unlike air travel
, there is often a relatively seamless transition from the other travel modes linked to trains. This is a far more efficient mode of travel and the availability of convenient and rapid trains will lower the carbon cost of trips significantly.

Comment by Rich Bradley of OH

This is a waste of money. If it made economic sense, it would have been done already by private investment. Remember, the federal government doesn't have any money; this is going to be paid for by taxpayers, to the benefit of the few at the expense of the many. Let Texas build railroads in Texas, and California build railroads in California. Why do we all have to pay for it? If Virginians want a high-speed light rail, let us decide to build one. Why should people in North Dakota and Colorado have to pay for it? To paraphrase something I heard once: Government "investment" is a great illusion whereby everyone tries to benefit at the expense of everyone else.

Comment by Michael of VA

The United States is so far behind in investing in high-speed rail, so the president's plan cannot meet all the needs, but it has to start somewhere. High-speed rail must be focused on long-distance, key corridors. It is not a commuter rail service and cannot have too many stops. But the stops should provide for multi-modal links to bus, rail, and other mobility connections. High-speed rail can provide safe, energy-efficient transportation. It is time the USA took action!

Comment by Dennis Coffey of MA

New expressways are being built and old ones are being upgraded every day. Highways consume a lot of tax money and encourage more and more greenhouse gas production. All highway projects should be assessed for the option of adding passenger rail in the same land use. Short-distance air routes would become less viable, reducing a lot of greenhouse gas. Pleasant high-speed rail would also attract mail, time-sensitive parcels, and perishable food transport, reducing our carbon footprint in the process. These are all concepts that are proven effective. Creative and foresighted planning will pay higher dividends than whipping the same old dead horses that have gotten us into our current problems.

Comment by Marvin Bartel of IN

Trains work in Europe because of high population density and high taxes (subsidized). Trains in America will have to overcome many obstacles associated with the conveniences of automobile and air travel. The train will need to be cheaper, faster, and provide the modern day conveniences people enjoy in their own personal craft. Trains have not been able to compete in the last 50 years. What new big government plan will now make them more competitive? Faster rails ... faster than a plane? Ha! Sorry, this is another special interest pork project promoted by a president that refuses to accept the reality of free markets further supported by local congressional reps who will use our money to fund another boondoggle.

Comment by Peter of GA

Please approve the funding for Amtrak
and high-speed rail service. In the 1940 & 1950s, the U.S.A. was the best in the world. Because of our selfish focus on cars, the U.S.A. lost major employers like Pullman. We need rail. It is cost-effective and will ease the congestion on our roads. Though many long-distance trains may not be needed, local and medium-distance trains can link our cities and help to reduce the way the U.S.A. consumes oil. Our highways are everywhere, and we cannot afford to keep all of them in good condition. Rail makes sense. As soon as improvements are made to rail, the younger generation can experience what a joy it is to take the rails.

Comment by David Bristow of IL

Cold reason meets passion of rail enthusiasm......

More on High-Speed Rail - Jerry Taylor - The Corner on National Review Online

Monday, April 20, 2009

More on High-Speed Rail [Jerry Taylor]

Good talking points this morning concerning President Obama's high-speed rail plan from my colleague Randal O'Toole:

Obama's plan to build so-called high-speed rail in ten new corridors is unfair to taxpayers and bad for the environment. Here are the most important problems with the plan.

1. NOT TRUE HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Except in California, the trains Obama is proposing are "moderate-speed rail," running at top speeds of 110 mph and average speeds of only 60 to 70 mph. Many American railroads ran trains this fast in the 1930s through the 1960s, and they were unable to keep people out of their cars.

Only California is proposing true high-speed rail (as fast as 220 mph), but this will be extremely expensive. A true, nationwide high-speed rail network would cost more than half a trillion dollars, and wouldn't even provide through high-speed service from New York to Chicago, much less to the West Coast. (Obama's plan, when fully built out, will cost about $100 billion.)

2. LESS THAN 1 PERCENT RIDE, MORE THAN 99 PERCENT PAY

More than 4 percent of federal transportation spending goes to Amtrak, yet Amtrak carries only 0.1 percent of passenger travel.

Moderate- and high-speed trains will significantly increase the subsidies but have little effect on the total travel. Why is it fair for 99-plus percent of people to pay for the rides enjoyed by the other less-than-1 percent?

Even with subsidies, high-speed rail fares will be about 50 percent higher than ordinary Amtrak fares. For example, passengers pay $69 to ride conventional trains from New York to Washington, and $99 to ride high-speed train. (By comparison, an unsubsidized bus fare is $20 and unsubsidized airfares are $99.) This means only the wealthy and those whose employers pay the fare will ride high-speed rail. All taxpayers will end up paying for rides of bankers, bureaucrats, and lobbyists.

3. MODERATE-SPEED RAIL IS DIRTY

Obama's moderate-speed trains will be conventional, Diesel-powered trains running faster than today's Amtrak trains. Higher speeds will require more energy and emit more pollution and greenhouse gases.

Amtrak today is only a little more energy-efficient, per passenger mile, than cars and planes. While cars and planes are getting cleaner and more energy-efficient every year, running trains at higher speeds will make them less energy-efficient.

4. IT DOESN'T WORK IN EUROPE

High-speed trains in Europe are convenient for tourists, but the average European rarely uses them. Even in France, which has more high-speed trains than any other European country, the average resident rides heavily subsidized high-speed trains just 400 miles per year. Despite punitive fuel taxes, they drive 7,600 miles per year, a number that is increasing faster than high-speed rail travel.

5. IT DOESN'T WORK IN JAPAN

The Japanese drive less than French or Americans, but they don't ride high-speed rail more than the French. The average resident of Japan drives 4,000 miles per year and rides high-speed trains 400 miles per year. The Japanese ride trains more than anyone else — nearly 1,900 miles per year, including urban rail — but premium high-speed train fares keep nearly 80 percent of train riding on conventional trains.

6. EVERY CAR OFF THE ROAD MEANS MORE NEW TRUCKS ON THE ROAD

Obama's moderate-speed trains will run on the same tracks as existing freight trains. Since many of America's rail lines are near capacity today, there is a real danger that moderate-speed trains will push freight onto the highways.

Europe's rail network carries 6 percent of passenger travel, while ours carries only 0.1 percent. But European trains carry less than 17 percent of freight, while 73 percent goes by highway. By comparison, American trains carry 40 percent of our freight, while only 28 percent goes on the highway. In other words, to get 6 percent of passengers out of their cars, Europe puts nearly three times as many trucks on the road.

I love trains. If moderate- or high-speed rails worked, I would be the first to support them. But all they will really do is subsidize the rich, while they do more harm to the environment than driving or flying.

No stimulus money for CA to Vegas high-speed train

Plan for stimulus dollars makes no mention of California to Vegas train | plan, barstow, stimulus - News - Desert Dispatch

Plan for stimulus dollars makes no mention of California to Vegas train

Proponents still hope to get funding
April 20, 2009 - 3:55 PM
By ABBY SEWELL, staff writer

BARSTOW • The Obama administration’s strategic plan for spending the $8 billion in stimulus funding allotted to high-speed rail projects makes no mention of a proposed rail line from Anaheim to Las Vegas that would stop in Barstow.

Project proponents are still hopeful that some of the funds may come their way.

The plan released Thursday by President Barack Obama and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood lists 10 designated high-speed rail corridors where projects are eligible to receive funding, none of which include the Anaheim to Las Vegas route.

A California corridor connecting the Bay Area with Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego is one of those listed in the plan.

In addition to the $8 billion designated for high speed rail in the stimulus plan, President Obama proposed to create a $1 billion per year grant program for high-speed rail projects.

The funding approach proposed in the strategic plan would allow stimulus dollars to be used to build “ready to go” projects with preliminary engineering and environmental work completed, to develop corridor-wide proposals, or to fund the planning process for corridors not yet ready for construction.

Bruce Aguilera, chair of the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, which is tasked with moving the Anaheim to Las Vegas train project forward, stated via email that the project proponents still plan to file a request for stimulus funds and expect to be eligible.

“We have a plan and (are) moving fast to have the first leg built during the president’s first term,” Aguilera wrote.

Lori Irving, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Department of Transportation, said projects that are not located in the existing corridors may still be eligible to compete for some of the stimulus funds.

The Barstow City Council voted March 31 to take an official stance supporting the Anaheim to Las Vegas train proposal, known as the California-Nevada Interstate Maglev Project. The proposal would involve running a high-speed train using magnetic levitation technology along the route, with stops in Ontario, Victorville, Barstow, and Primm, with its central maintenance yard to be located in Barstow.

The first leg of the project, as proposed, would run from Las Vegas to Primm, at an anticipated cost of $1.3 billion. The total cost of the 268-mile route is projected at $12 to $15 billion.

The project had already been designated for $45 million in federal funds prior to the stimulus package, but proponents need to find 20 percent matching funds before the federal money can be released.

The City Council also agreed to voice its opposition to a competing proposal, the privately funded DesertXpress, which would run from Victorville to Las Vegas without a stop in Barstow.

The transportation department is required to issue a full set of application guidelines by June 17, and the Obama administration expected to announce the first round of grant awards before the end of the summer.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or asewell@desertdispatch.com

Obama's speech that gave rise to all of the recent articles on high-speed rail

A Brief History of High-Speed Rail - TIME

A Brief History of High-Speed Rail - TIME

A Brief History of:
High-Speed Rail
By Randy James Monday, Apr. 20, 2009
brief history high speed rail bullet train shinkansen Fastech 360S Eurostar TGV JR-Maglev shanghai maglev KTX THSR Acela
A prototype of the bullet train Fastech 360S is seen at the East Japan Railway Commpany's rolling stock laboratory center in Rifu, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

Like soccer and fresh bread, Americans have long viewed train travel as something that other countries simply do better. But thanks to President Barack Obama's stimulus package, efforts to get faster trains on track may finally be gaining speed.
More Related



Earlier this month Obama announced $8 billion in stimulus funds — and a request for $5 billion more over five years — toward high-speed rail projects. The government has identified 10 corridors across the country that could potentially receive funding, from a Los Angeles-San Francisco line to a route linking New York City to Buffalo.

"Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination," the President mused while unveiling the plan April 16. It's a beguiling image that's compelled and thwarted travelers in this country for decades, especially as highways clog, oil prices climb and airport delays mount.

Japan opened the world's first high-speed rail line, between Tokyo and Osaka, in time for the 1964 Olympics. Shinkansen, or bullet trains, now travel at speeds up to 185 miles per hour over some 1,500 miles of rail lines across the country. Italy is credited with Europe's first high-speed line, opening between between Rome and Florence in 1978; today trains also race through Spain, Germany, Belgium, Britain and France at speeds up to 150 miles per hour or more — making most Amtrak lines resemble a Disneyland monorail in comparison. Taiwan has also climbed on board, and fast-growing China has plunged into high-speed rail in a big way. Trains hit 217 miles per hour along a new, 75-mile route between Beijing and Tianjin built for the 2008 Olympics, and maglev (magnetic levitation) trains blast by at 268 between Shanghai and its airport. Concerns over cost have slowed the addition of more maglev lines, but conventional high-speed lines are being built in China at a frenetic pace.

By those standards, the fastest trains in the U.S. barely register; in fact, Washington defines "high-speed" as just 90 miles per hour, positively poky next to, say, France's TGV, which rockets travelers from Paris to Avignon at 158 miles per hour. Amtrak's nine-year-old Acela train between Washington, D.C. and Boston briefly hits 150 miles per hour in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but averages only about 85 over the full route due to limitations of the tracks and overhead electric lines.

European and Asian governments have actively supported high-speed rail for a variety of reasons. Higher gas prices and denser populations make rail travel generally more attractive overseas. After World War II, many countries focused on building modern rail networks after their existing lines were destroyed. In the sprawling U.S., meanwhile, with many cities hundreds or thousands of miles apart, resources flowed toward improving air links and roads — with Eisenhower's interstate highway system the crown jewel. Several states have pursued high-speed rail on their own, including California, where voters approved $10 billion last fall for a massive project initially linking Los Angeles and San Francisco that's expected to cost tens of billions. Many high-speed train initiatives have been derailed due to their exorbitant cost — recent rail construction in Spain averaged some $22 million per mile.

The sobering expense of high-speed train travel has tempered the expectations of even the strongest rail advocates. "It sounds like a lot of money to Americans, but it's really just a start," James P. RePass of the National Corridors Initiative told the Washington Post. Some critics also predict a massive price tag to operate new rail lines, pointing to Amtrak's perennial shortfalls, and a proposed link between Anaheim and Las Vegas (in the home state of Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid) sparked outrage and derision among many Republicans.

Still, many are heartened by the President's interest in train improvement and by Vice President Biden's well-known affection for Amtrak, nurtured over years of commuting between Delaware and Washington, D.C. Even without brand-new trains, supporters welcome any new spending on the country's aging rail system. "We're not going to wake up in a year and see a bullet train," RePass said. "But we are going to see much faster service for relatively little money."

The case for Vision with high-speed rail

A ticket to US bullet trains | csmonitor.com

A ticket to US bullet trains
The Recovery Act provides $8 billion for high-speed rail – a strong start, but a vision is needed.
By the Monitor's Editorial Board

from the April 13, 2009 edition


Last year on the campaign trail, Barack Obama touted bullet trains as the next big thing in US transportation. "I don't want to see the fastest train in the world built halfway around the world in Shanghai," he said. "I want to see it built right here."

It's an exciting prospect, the idea of saving US travelers time and carbon, and sparing them frustration over crowded highways and airports. But it's a long, long way from Amtrak's average speed of 40 m.p.h. to the magnetic levitation train in Shanghai, which runs at 259 m.p.h., or to bullet trains in Europe and Japan.

Just narrowing this gap will require long-term commitment by Washington. The White House is off to a strong start by asking for – and getting – $8 billion for high-speed rail in the economic recovery package. The administration proposes an additional $5 billion over five years. For comparison, Amtrak's annual budget is $3.2 billion.

The public may think the US already has a bullet train in Amtrak's Acela, which stretches from Boston to Washington, D.C. But that service, which is capable of 150 m.p.h., rarely reaches this speed due to curvy tracks and other constraints.

On April 16, the Federal Railroad Administration is expected to unveil a strategic plan for the $8 billion, to be followed by competitive bids from around the country. If it's not spread too thinly over America's rail system, the funds can make a real difference in improved track, safety, and capacity – and thus notably improve speed. Much of the delay in passenger rail comes from passenger trains sharing track with freight. Just laying rail in key corridors to separate freight from passenger traffic could go a long way to speedier passenger service.

But Americans should realize that these billions are not enough to pay for even one full-fledged bullet line.

Californians have an idea of how expensive it might be to build a network of super-fast trains. Voters last year approved a $10 billion bond to start financing a north-south service expected to top 200 m.p.h. – and cost at least $45 billion.

But elsewhere in the continental US, bullet trains would cross state lines to serve major cities. This argues for a federal role.

Washington needs a strategy not just for the $8 billion, but for a national high-speed rail network. It has a good idea of what such a network would look like (see www.fra.dot.gov for a map showing 11 regional corridors).

The strategy will have to include creative financing, because the feds can't do it all. The private sector probably has to play a role, and rail operators should consider how to cash in on tax revenue from development that springs up along fast-train corridors.

This isn't like landing a man on the moon, but vision, planning, and dedication are needed to move people between major cities at even 150 m.p.h. American competitiveness depends on it.

Another idea for high-speed rail

MorganHillTimes.com | Bullet train should run down the middle of U.S. 101

OPINION > EDITORIALS
3 votes

Bullet train should run down the middle of U.S. 101
Apr 3, 2009
By Morgan Hill Editorial Board

Voters OK $10B bond to begin project

The bullet train is coming, like it or not.

Even though voters approved a $10 billion bond to partially fund the construction - estimates to complete the project are $40 billion and many believe that is a conservative number - many are unsure of what exactly they got themselves into. The train is expected to reach speeds of 220 mph as it ferries passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco and, with a station in Gilroy, officials say it could transform South Valley into a hub of activity. But will that activity come with a price?

Elevated tracks could split the community

One concern is the possibility that tracks, which would likely be elevated through Morgan Hill along the existing Caltrain line owned by Union Pacific, could separate neighborhoods. It might require the construction of sound walls, disrupt traffic, block views of the hills, and "create a social barrier that's unnecessary," City Manager Ed Tewes told reporter Sara Suddes. A second, perhaps more serious obstacle, are the tracks proximity to Union Pacific's tracks.

"We get skittish when there's talk about putting our trains next to trains that are very light, fast and carry passengers," said U.P. spokeswoman Zoe Richmond.

Run the train down U.S. 101

The idea of a train the could get passengers to Los Angeles in about two hours is a good one. The population of California, now about 36 million, is expected to reach 45 million by 2020. Getting people out of their vehicles and taking less plane flights can only help.

So the solution then is to run the train down the large median of U.S. 101 which already splits the city.

"We have long supported alignment on or adjacent to U.S. 101," Tewes said, pointing out the freeway already divides the town.

And Supervisor Don Gage encouraged South County officials to speak up early and often, lest they get "stepped on." Now is the time to lobby for the location that best suits South County: Down the middle of U.S. 101.

Contact officials at the California High Speed Rail Authority at www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/contact.htm or call (916) 324-1541 .

Millions are spent and borrowed for an agency that has been around since 1996. What's the deal?

California bullet train gets $29M loan - San Francisco Business Times:

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 | Modified: Wednesday, April 8, 2009
California bullet train gets $29M loan
San Francisco Business Times - by Eric Young





State authorities approved California bullet train’s request for a $29.1 million loan, allowing the project to pay contractors (whom have done what??) and continue its planning.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority had been running perilously low on money for several months.


The authority’s cash crunch stemmed from California’s inability to sell almost $10 billion in bonds approved by voters last year for the 800-mile rail line expected to link San Francisco to San Diego and Sacramento.

The loan, approved by the state Treasurer’s Office, is “an enormous relief to the dedicated and talented staff and the engineers and planners that continued to work on the project over the past three months without a commitment that they would be paid,” said Mehdi Morshed, executive director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

As the authority collects its loan money, it is seeking money from other sources as well.

High-speed rail leaders are ramping up lobbying for a share of the $8 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act intended for high speed rail and other rail passenger service. Authority board members like David Crane, a top economic adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and transportation veteran Rod Diridon Sr. will urge Congress to direct millions of dollars to California’s high speed rail project.

Meanwhile, there continues to be interest from private investors in the bullet train. The project’s financial team said earlier this year that it talked with 12 firms specializing in finance, operations, equipment or rail construction. While about one third of the project’s costs will be covered by voter-approved bonds, the train will need significant private investor and federal money.

eyoung@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4969