It's obvious that you spent alot of time on this video, it really shows. Fantastic, and probably the best overview of the entire project that I've ever seen.
@@davidlafleche1142 can’t agree with that. I think high speed rail will give the country the same boost economically that the interstate Highway did. The PROBLEM is that you have allot of advocates who want high speed rail from coast to coast when that is unnecessary. California needs it, Nevada, New Mexico to Texas, Texas, North east corridor, and possi lily a few other places and that’s it. The country could make use of better speed rail coast to coast that is around 80mph average with better train cars, but not high speed rail coast to coast. We could also get rid off many inner city expressways and understand that there is a difference between a street and a road.
@@davidlafleche1142 another negative of high speed rail is that the state and fed have no clue how to get it built on budget and on time. Which also makes people not want it. This project could have been built far better but we suffer from politicians who are corrupt and just don’t know what they are doing. Ironically environmental studies is one of the big reasons why this project is so expensive and is not finished
It takes people who actually care, and not think someone else should built it with someone else’s money all while they look and take credit for it If the people part of the project loved this, the people paying for it loved this, and over all the people wanted it, this would be a different project. Right now it’s just another job for many.
You really hit a chord with how all our most iconic and beloved infrastructure is from the 30s, and how it is pathetic we haven’t achieved anything similar since.
What's insane is how the US went from having the best public transportation in the world, especially our rail networks, to one of the worst in the developed world.
Nice job presenting a very difficult project; the California High Speed Rail. Having had a 45 year career as a subdivider/developer in the Antelope Valley (Palmdale - Lancaster area). When the idea of a high speed rail system was first proposed I was excited about the possibilities of what a train like that could do for that area. Today I am more excited than ever seeing that the first segments of the system are coming into a completion phase, and the Bakersfield to Palmdale segment has cleared the EIR. I am confident that the train will be built and within the relative time frame that has been set out. Who knows how things will work out, remember, Los Angeles Hosts the Summer Olympics Games in 2028 and the political powers would love to crow over a new operational High Speed Train system allowing Northern Californians the opportunity to attend the games.
I 100% agree! Also, thanks! This was one of the most difficult videos I’ve made, because the project is so massive, and it’s so reviled by so many people. Striking a relevant tone and deciding what to include was a bit of a challenge lol
AI and autonomous vehicle technology will never let high speed passenger rail reach any level of success in the US. Autonomous vehicles are now at the dawn of a new private vehicle revolution which will change everything.
Palmdale will benefit more if a Vegas to Victorville high speed train gets an extension to Palmdale to capture those wanting SF, central valley to Vegas trip via 2 hsr lines.
@@TohaBgood2 AI is paid for by the sure prize of technical dominance. $100 billion + trains are just drain on the economy with no hope of a pay off.. everyone know that. It was doomed from the start. AI is here and now no turning back.
@@michaelmccarthy4615 autonomous vehicles will still need roads, which tend to get pretty crowded during normal economic times in the Bay Area and LA County. Then it remains to be seen if the current AI tech is ready for prime time.
Just a note about Japan: The plugs in Japan are physically the same, and quite similar to the US ones. However, the AC transmission frequency is different, with the North/East using 50 Hz and the South/West using 60 Hz. Typically in Japan it's not usually an issue since electronic equipment can use either frequency, but the grid transfer capacity between both regions is somewhat limited.
Biggest physical difference is the lack of a ground on the plug, so plugs are all 2 prong instead of 3. Conversion is super easy between US and Japanese plugs, you can easily find 3 to 2 prong converters and about the only common thing people use that causes issues are hair dryers.
@@neilworms2 In Germany, don't know about rest of continent or GB, the plugs are not polarized. It kinda scares hell outa me. It's 220 per leg, you probably know. Hmmm, I don;t know what the potential is between hot legs, 440? =:-O
@@inyobill The potential is 240v still. Unlike the US, Europe doesn't use a center tap to create a neutral. The US is only 120v because they split the 240v into 2 120v phases. In fact, there are breakers that you can get that use the 2 hots rather than a hot and the neutral, giving you a 240v circuit.
Funny the whole thing somehow. Your first track is under construction and plagued by many disputes. And we in Germany are overhauling our high-speed rail for the first time since construction. But it's nice to see how things are going with you as well. At home here in Berlin, the expansion of the Dresden Railway is also moving forward. Here, the new long-distance railway tracks including bridges on Berlin territory have to be rebuilt. It should be ready in 2025. Then the trains from Hamburg to Dresden, Prague and Budapest will take the direct route from Berlin and will no longer have to take detours. The fact that there are still no long-distance railway tracks between Berlin-Südkreuz and Blankenfelde is still due to the Cold War and political disputes after the fall of the Wall. I'm filming the project in Berlin. Greetings from Berlin/ Germany. Sven
German rail lines are the ones blocking everyone else in europe, It's at the geographic center, but there is no through lines. I can't go from northen europe to france or spain easily by train, I have to change trains a lot, wait, a lot and pay way too much money. German network is only connected inside the country, it doesn't link very well with the neighboring countries. I hope european railways will become integrated, I really hate traveling by plane.
"German rail lines are the ones blocking everyone else in europe," They seem to do everything to not to do much with regards to rail connections with neighbours. Strong car lobby, eh Sven?
@@z00h Jep, strong car lobby. And this has been going on since the 60s. When I look at the drama about the Rhine Valley Railway Karlsruhe-Basel, I could only puke. Completion on the German side in 2041. The access route to the Brenner Base Tunnel... completion open. Railway line Lübeck-Island Fehmarn... very big ? And the Berlin-Frankfurt/Oder line has been under construction since 1990 to upgrade it at 160 km/h...But it's no wonder with these smears as Minister of Transport
I'm glad you're watermarking your videos! your drone coverage of this is spectacular and there's no doubt that news orgs will try to rip it for their use
Haha, perhaps. The authority has plenty of well done videos as well, my angle is showing the whole project. Most people won’t know how difficult it was to film the southern five miles of CP 2-3, but I’m sure someone will appreciate seeing it lol
Honestly if we had High speed rail, I'd never fly again. Absolutely detest it. Seeing this project come along is inspiring and makes me optimistic. So many people are pessimists about this project but I'm hopeful since so much has been done so far.
@@TohaBgood2 trains are good people movers; I rode with Thalys from Paris to Dusseldorf and it was a a great experience, and I didn't have to worry about getting there 4 hours early.
For the people who are afraid to fly (unless they _really_ have to, like on a trip across the oceans), this is a much better alternative, especially if you don't have to travel more than halfway across the country. So long as they have Wi-Fi, I could ride a train for at least 3 hours at 125mph (which is _the_ benchmark for a bullet train) or faster.
A failed not so high speed train to no where is not going to build support. The two large metros should be served with the shortest cheapest route near I-5 with four stops In total to preserve true high speeds. Two stops in the Bay Area, two stops in the LA area. The central valley presently have Amtrak services, why build a very expensive high speed rail through urban Central Valley cities? Furthermore, high speed rail commands first class fares, not coach fares. California would have been better off allowing SNCF to build their new high speed train adjacent to I-5 a decade ago, that high speed train would be running today... But noooooo, politicians and politics robbed California...
Fore my that's for the lack of it being not finished and this bull about bug threat thank the last a hole in the wite house if people wront scared yes it would be finished so think on that
It's going to do the opposite! Operating costs will be thru the roof and each train will either have insane ticket costs that no one will pay or will burn cash. No one is travelling between those cities can afford an express train. They will drive their pickup truck
@@skiparkcityut Think CA would be smart enough to make the tickets cheap through different means. Only way operating costs would be thru the roof is if the authority decides to be more "high tech" in everything or by approving the cheapest contract for rolling stock as they did with bridge construction (you probably know how that went).
@@ronclark9724 Largely agreed with the stops, honestly way too many stops in the central valley. The worst part is sharing a corridor with commuter trains as we literally could build an independent high speed corridor in BOTH LA and SF for the current cost. Sadly politics is politics, the high speed line would have been completed a decade sooner if it weren't for that (and be way more cheap).
One point for rail travel in general that I think is under represented is that pretty much no matter the circumstance, you can do work, read, or whatever for your entire time in the vehicle as well as that you get decent legroom and flexibility. Planes are cramped, noisy, and a ton of hassle, driving is an exercise in stress management and paying constant attention. I personally never have any reason to go to LA, but system-wide improvements, including cities improving their bike, bus, and light rail infrastructure so that connection to HSR, can only do to make rail travel easier and more convenient to all of us. I'd take the Capitol Corridor to SF all the time if it were easier to get to!
The reason that your airplane seat has no legroom is to keep the cost of travel down and operate a profitable service. There are plenty of improvements planned along the Capitol Corridor to improve speed and reduce the overall travel time.
I still remember voting for this in college. So crazy it hasn't been completed yet, living in Japan at the moment makes me realize how important having a strong rail network is.
It's not crazy. It's situation normal for California projects - over budget and behind schedule If there was popular demand for rail service, Amtrak would have budget surpluses.
A long time ago the US love to ride the train. Now, the high-speed rail system is underway, and I believe the Shinkansen high-speed rail will be a POWER of transportation in the US. Welcome aboard.
As someone that has lived in California for over 40 years, I really hope this project completes. I would love to be able to take this to see my parents, and would visit them way more often than I currently do.
@@MasterExploder61 I don't think there are going to be a lot of them. You see, taxes are one of the biggest enemies of the rich and when they go up, the rich are first to move out!
I am rooting for California to complete this! This will also help with the housing crisis, and it will be an economical and popularity boost for cities along the HSR lines. And maybe - hopefully - this will inspire other states to follow suit with similar projects.
I have to say that I agree it's time for California to finish this project. This is a very smart investment to the country. This will revolutionize the country in a lot of ways economically. It will reduce congestion on Freeways, enable to mobilize a new work force from a more cost saving region. Being able to connect with Brightline going into Las Vegas will make both States an economic boom tourist, and work force commuting. Doing this one thing would create thousands of jobs. Connecting Larger cities to smaller cities in rural areas saving time and money. Thousands of new businesses will open as a result of this project. Holiday travel will become easier.
I really suspect a lot of the hand ringing about the cost of the project is about people playing political games. In first case, California's budget surplus this year was North of $75 billion. Some of that could easily be used to completely fund the rest of the project. That of course doesn't include money coming from the new infrastructure bill of 1.3 trillion.
That pile of dirt that disappeared to be replaced with a piling may have been there as a weight to compress the land that the piling would go in to. A common sight in Vancouver is a pyramid of dirt with the top 1/3 or so covered in tarps held down by used tires; after two years or so it gets removed and they start building the foundation of a high-rise.
Thanks for update. I drive SR99 on a regular basis past several of these projects but don’t have the overhead view. I wish California HSR Authority provided as complete overviews as your annual updates. Thanks again.
As a structural engineer on the east coast it sure is interesting to see construction on such a large scale where roads can just be moved and there's room for massive structures. That dirt pile at the north end of the station is being used for settlement of the soil. Abutments are heavy and the soil would start sinking little by little. A massive dirt pile at that location puts the weight on the soil before the abutment is built so that by the time the rails are placed and trains are running, the soil already had a chance to settle.
You are turning me into to a train and infrastructure nerd and I love it. When I have to demonstrate why we need to finish this project I point my browser to your youtube channel. Thanks and I look forward to more videos.
I just want these trains to be finished so that airlines can stop destroying my wheelchair and delaying my departure. Imagine being forced to wait an extra 30 minutes to an hour for someone to unload your wheelchair and cramp you into a small isle chair, only to find out they broke something. Never had that kind of experience when taking the Sunrail in Orlando.
I'm so sorry to hear this. How heavy is your wheelchair? I worked for the airlines, and those heavy wheelchairs all have to be handled by hand. I remember when we were unloading a very heavy electric wheelchair once, and the worker in the baggage bin didn't set the brakes before putting it on the belt loader. That wheelchair came ripping down the belt and almost hit me. Had it hit me, I would have definitely had broken bones or possibly killed. I was horrified after seeing it land on its side on the ramp. I know this is someone's legs, and I knew it was damaged. Then there were other situations where we would get it offloaded and had to take it to the other side of the airport to get it up the elevator, then get it all the way to the gate so we could give it to the passenger. This sometimes took 20 minutes or more. A few things I would like to see happen is better instructions on how to handle the wheelchair. And!! A device that can be used to safely load the wheelchair into the aircraft. Those belt loaders are not practical when loading a large and heavy wheelchair. I wish all the wheelchairs had the same process on how to turn the power off on them. We would normally have to remove the battery and disconnect the wheelchair for safety reasons. It would be challenging sometimes. This led to delays in getting the wheelchair boarded or to the customer quickly. Any advice or suggestions? I ask, because I would like to find a way to reduce this from happening to you and others who use wheelchairs when flying. I would love to invent a machine that could load these easier and prevent them from being damaged.
@@ChrisJohnson-hk6es It’s nice to hear someone who cares so much! My wheelchair is very light, most people have no issue lifting it even with one hand with the brakes on. It’s a manual so that’s probably why. The wheels and seat come off, sometimes I take the seat with me on the plane. The back folds down. It can fit into most spaces with puzzle work. I think the best way to help is by asking the user the best way to take the chair apart and put it together and how the brakes work. Most of the issues I’ve had have come from people showing up last minute to board me on the plane and then not bothering to listen to me explain how my chair works. It then ends up with my wheels not being all the way on, causing them to fall off while I’m pushing myself. I’m sure you can imagine how that ends. Honestly, they should make a manual that has the most common types of wheelchairs and how they function on hand to avoid these incidents if there isn’t enough time to hear from the user. I usually don’t have an issue with the wait time, just the manhandling of my chair and my body. My feet getting caught under the boarding chair is not a fun experience. To think they’re actually surprised when I say “Ow!” as if twisting my ankles far enough wouldn’t hurt eventually.
@@GlitterSkies I am so sorry!! I am now thinking about bringing this issue up to some higher ups at the airline I work for. I do think there needs to be more training for ramp workers on how to properly handle wheelchairs. Do you have an email address you can share, or a website I can contact you at? I really want to make it more aware and see if there is more airlines can do to address issues like this. I know you aren't the only one that has stories like this. I think every single airline should have more extensive training on this subject Sorry for the late reply! I am still kind of figuring out youtube. 😂😂
I feel that one of the best ways to both obtain funding for rail projects like CHSR and increase the populace's willingness to support them is to simply reduce the heavy subsidies on other forms of transportation, such as Air. Seeing as how these subsidies are one of the main reasons US passenger rail DIED in the first place. This would force airlines to up their prices, making the train a more appealing competitor, not to mention not having to deal with TSA.
I often ask the detractors when they bring up subsidization of HSR about subsidisation of the ALL-cost Interstate Highway System. It's not expected to generate ANY revenue.
Great analysis. I've always said the old traditional way of building more freeways encourages more motorists to purchase vehicles which causes more pollution and congestion which is now a big step backwards. California is the richest state in America and 5th richest economy in the world and should be keeping up with the rest of the world I.e. UK, Europe, China and Japan. This is a great project and yes hope it gets completed.
5th richest in the world, but one of the most income unequal states. Big tech grew out of the Bay Area, and yet many are becoming homeless and poorer, while the rich get richer. Where's the wealth going? Not to regular Californians, for sure. The rich is just fine riding their helicopters and private jets to work. Shitty Caltrain service, congested and broken tollways, and Bart is for the plebs.
@@TohaBgood2 All complete falsehoods and made up bs. You don't even sound like you livehere. Who's the ones buying up luxury apartment units? Definitely not the long-timer locals. The old locals oppose the LUXURY apartment developments, NOT affordable housing, you fucking idiot. It's the ones who live in those glass palaces in the sky who don't want low-income housing because of the fear of crime and lower property values.
I'm a highway engineer, and I can confirm that adding lanes do not solve traffic congestion, and at times, making it worse. Seems count-intuitive, but it's a fact of life. I won't go into why, but Google has plenty of explanations if you want to know more.
Impeccably executed and presented! Watching from the Netherlands, I hope that a complete California HSR from SF to LA comes to fruition. Will it happen in my lifetime? (I am 65.)
I am looking to seeing the full flyover videos! I have not been to California recently and from this preview it looks like a lot has been done of the ROW segments between structures since your last video.
For sure! There’s a lot more going on than I could cover in an update. There are hundreds of canal crossings and storm culverts built that are pretty boring, but obviously necessary to complete the project
13 years after the project started, this is all that is done? pathetic. the infrustructure in US is already way behind, and falling even further every day. they ought to feel the pressure to catch up, fast.
Great video and thank you for including SI/metric units as well. Hopefully this project progresses quickly so Bakersfield to Merced HSR segment is complete. The most difficult part will be the routing to the SF Bay Area. The preferred routing to Gilroy is probably the best since it avoids built-up areas but it is also quite difficult since it needs to cross the Diablo Range near Pacheco Pass. Looking forward to future updates, it's interesting you're covering this living all the way over in Nebraska - thanks for the dedication!
I legitimately cannot wait for this to be finished. Just knowing from the numbers how massive of a state Cali is, both in population and area, having a high-speed corridor connecting the cities is going to be a HUGE benefit to commerce for everyone. The Surfliner is proof of that enough, and it even doesn't go that fast!
I wish they would have expanded that service instead. Once per hour would have been a good thing. Even that I know would be limited. The wealth communities on the coast would never allow for electrification. Keep in mind the electrification would have to be very high because BNSF runs double stack containers through there.
Do you really think Californian's will ride that train...high speed or not..the people of California will NEVER leave their almighty SUV's to ride a train. The people of California will go to their grave buried with their SUV's next the them along with their almighty IPhone.
The Surfliner was much faster back in the 1950's when it was called the San Diegan. Santa Fe railway designated at least one San Diegan per day as a non stop express between San Diego and LA which meant that the trip was two hours and 15 minutes...which is 40 minutes faster than today's Surfliner. Santa Fe also ran non stop express trains between LA and Del Mar on days of the race track. No such thing exists today.
What's clear from your video is that the High Speed Rail project is clearly a "road improvement project." Seeing the number of highways and roadways being reconstructed for cars, and not HSR, show why the costs of the project have continued to escalate. I'd be curious to see a breakdown of how much of the HSR budget is actually going into roads and utilities. While it's great that this capacity is being built, seeing the flyover of the Bakersfield station is one of the major reasons I'm concerned about the effectiveness of this project - it looks to be in a completely industrial area / likely transit desert. While I'm sure some local transit will be rerouted, it looks like there's almost nothing around the area, showing that those renderings of the "reinvigorated area" likely a pipe dream if one still needs a car to get around the area. Are there plans for a mixed-use development around the HSR station?
Yeah, you’re not wrong. Particularly if this project doesn’t get completed and trains actually start running, it will be all about roads. Yes there are plans to develop the areas around stations, particularly in Fresno, where much of the land around the station has been cleared. Bakersfield however has been much less receptive to HSR, which is why the station will be built on the edge of town and not the center. Bakersfield however didn’t have any problem sacrificing neighborhoods for the new freeway that’s being built, though…
What you describe happens with all HSR projects around the world in populated areas with existing public infrastructure like roads, bridges, and highways. I'm surprised you wouldn't have thought that would be the case. And more of these kinds of mitigations will take place the closer the project construction gets to major cities. In fact, studies are happening now in L.A. about what current crossings will have to be completely grade separated that will then result in rerouting existing roads, etc. Many of the early train stations in the 20s were not necessarily built in areas with high density of businesses or residences. They tended to be at the edge of what then was perceived to be the cities boundaries. I'm sure you've seen many videos where you see the train station/stop in kind of an isolated location. Forward decades later and the train station is now surrounded by a whole bunch of stuff. That will happen in Bakersfield too.
@@TheFourFoot Noting the new developments around BART stations I feel like we can successfully develop the area after high speed rail has been completed. California needs more housing so this would definitely help.
The Bakersfield HSR station will be a ten minute walk to downtown and many restaurants, a five minute Uber ride to hotels, museums, and other entertainment options. It's also right next to a major highway. It's not exactly a "transit desert." I happen to pass by the area on my daily commute and know the area well.
Brilliant. I have a thought though. I work for HS2 in the UK and it's being built with connections to the existing railway. This means that HS2 trains can also serve cities that are not on HS2 (not travelling at full speed when they are on the conventional network but still at the maximum speed possible on those lines). Could this be done with California High Speed Rail, so that you could still use the line to travel from LA to SF, at say 250mph on the new line and 125mph on the existing lines?
Yes, the new line can and will be connected to existing rail network in Burbank and San Jose. Due to the constraints of freight rail system, there likely won’t be many trains that use both networks, but for the foreseeable future of course, HSR will use the Caltrain corridor and the Metrolink corridor in LA.
Anyone who's driven 5 between the Bay Area and LA knows how congested it's become. The number of traffic clogging trucks alone has made it a difficult and frustrating drive. Flying is no longer easy as the flight time may be short, but everything involved with air travel takes much much more time than the actual flight itself. Rail is the way to go, with it speed, flexibly and minimal environmental impact, it's been long overdue. The presentation was well done.
it won't be long and cars will drive themselves. Convoys of cars going 150 mph will make rail even more obsolete than it is now. Cars can go everywhere, trains are limited by the EXPENSIVE tracks.
@@TheBandit7613 A train is A BUNCH OF CARS CONNECTED TOGETHER LMFAOOOO. Auto cars need expensive freeways because each automobile is a huge object that is used by an average 1 1/3 people
Lol out loud. This "train" only connects nowhere to nowhere. Think about it. It goes through the central valley. That's just farmland. And besides cars don't pollute so much carbons as "trains" because they are airplanes fly between sfo lax. Aeroplane is faster because half time only 1 hr take 3 "train". If no less, budget over car superior. Interstate California 99 South is US 395 exist. If you don't car you no freedom. This "train" cost more than peanut but less than country. High speed "trains" bad environments car good. If only put gone "train", less more. Nowhere to good is bad less than more potato. However, Every Line Pays. For anyone who couldn't tell, this is meant to be extremely thick sarcasm.
You actually got me at the first few sentences -until you called cars planes.- actually, "they are" is a typo "there are" but combining cars with airplanes for no reason, as well as the use of quotes around "train" was still the giveaway it was a joke.
Why tf isn’t the northeast (a place which would benefit from HSR way more) doing this I mean come on are we really gonna let that overrated/car dependent/self-combusting/scorching hot beat us at fucking transit.
No, you should not! I love California's high-speed rail, but the northeast United States should compete to build their own high-speed system because trains go brrrrrrrrrr... Some of the greatest technological advancements were birthed out of the competition between two global superpowers. Now, with the absence of one, the other only has itself to compete with.
The engineers are genius for the way they planned this. By making the first 4 CPs out in the middle of nowhere and the easiest to build, you force the harder parts to be done later (the tunnels) and motivates full funding over time. “Well, there’s no turning back now” The tunnels in and out of San Francisco Bay and in LA + under Burbank will be some of the most expensive. I think we’re looking at a $250B project when it’s all said and done-but still worth it. When the environment benefits, we all benefit. We need to become an energy-efficient species. I mean then what’s the use of Fission research? More electricity for refining more fuels? This is the next logical step for our civilizations.
Thanks for coming back to CA to do an update on the CAHSR. Even the rail authority doesn't even have a good educational video like this to show to everyone.
Why not build a high speed railway line from New York City, Washington DC, Newark, New Jersey, Chicago and Detroit to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Jose, San Diego, Vancouver and with extensions to Toronto, Miami, Oklahoma and other major cities in the USA and Canada.
California just deferred $4.2 Billion in HSR funds and another $1 Billion in rail projects in LA for the Olympics in 2028. Does California really want HSR and Mass Transit? Depends on who’s palm is greased.
I love these updates from you! My one (small) request is that if you do more of these, when you show the "here's last year and here's this year" flyovers, put the year on the screen. Keep up the great work!
Tule is pronounced toolee. America is being outspent on its crumbling infrastructure and high speed rail development because some of us have been convinced to spend 13 billon dollars ($13,000,000) on one aircraft carrier. Each is host to fighter planes, that cost 325 million dollars ($325,000,000) each. Eventually there will be 13 of these floating machines, each with billions of dollars in FA (fighter attack) aircraft onboard. We need to spend our money on projects like this instead. An excellent video.
Well over 4 trillion dollars was spent on American interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Just imagine if a quarter of that money had been spent on high-speed rail and metro construction in the United States.
The effect on how and where from people commute seems to be pretty massive. Going from Bakersfield to LA , Madera to Bay Area, or Merced to Sacramento in a reasonable time could really change California, for better or worse.
The train doesn't go to either LA or SF yet, and most likely never will. The Tehachapi mountains are MOVING! San Andreas moving, and NO it's not like Japan even one tiny bit.
@@tonyburzio4107 There is earthquake technology to counteract that. BART even has a tunnel that goes through an active fault line. Have some hope, we would have dumped the project years ago. California wants the train, but not some of the politicians as usual.
China has high speed rail all over the country. They can afford it. California is the 7th largest economy in the world. The roads are clogged. Air travel is more expensive and crowded. High speed rail will make mobility much easier. California is not a deep south state it sits firmly in the 21 century.
They’re busy stealing money as an excuse to underfund the project instead of looking to the future on how much money it’ll bring to California’s economy and public transportation system
Another informative and well researched video. Again, as I've said before, your videos more clearly show just how complex this huge public infrastructure project is and why we need it not only for CA, but the nation too. Well done.
Tremendous work as always! Very satisfying to see the progress on those big viaducts, they really look impressive from above. Glad to see you were blessed with some clearer skies on your trip this year - the footage looks even better with the sun shining. Hope we can see some track being laid before too long!
What rolling stock will the line use? I'm so happy for Californians and America for wanting to join the 21st century in modern transportation. Believe me, it is a paradigm change to do 500km in less than 2 hours and without the hassle of alienating yourself at an airport. Soo buy the ticket, do the checking, sit comfortably in your seat, and blast across the state enjoying the views with dream ride quality. Visitors and travelers will appreciate it as well as businesses, money well invested in the future (something that many boomers are unable to see). Win/Win situation, . Greetings from Spain.
They haven't bought any trains yet. Conceptual renderings show the Siemens Velaro, and given Siemens' current dominance of American passenger rail equipment it's not unlikely that they will be chosen in the end. I want CA to pick the Kawasaki efSET but I won't hold my breath
Oh for sure, high speed rail is totally unimaginable for a lot of people, but I’ve been indoctrinated by riding it in other countries lol. Yeah the Valero is a likely contender. Alstom is also going for the contract with the Avelia Liberty, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a CRRC bid. I would love to see Kawasaki will it because they have a factory in my hometown, but I don’t think it’s very likely.
@The Four Foot @Mike Gaskin Velaros look very good and have a very good ride quality, very comfortable and spacious cars, perhaps more American style, a safe bet. The seating configuration I think is 2 + 1 and 2 + 2 depends on the class. As I am a Talgo Fanboy, I hope they also sign up for the contest ^_^!, they have a factory in Milwaukee I think, and also good designs and a lot of experience. It was also exceptional to see European, American and Japanese machines share line, TGV and ETR (bombardier/AnsaldoBreda) are also excellent machines. Perhaps a difficult dream to see it all together, but I am sure that this line will have a lot of traffic and competition between operators. The best thing would be to have several types/brands of convoys, it is a delight to be able to mount on different machines at least from the perspective of the client/user/fan. Greetings and I hope to travel in them if I visit California.
I really hope we get this done as soon as possible! I want to be able to take the train up to San Francisco and it would be great to have this for the entire country also.
This project is a debacle. The track being laid is outside the major population centers---how stupid. You've heard of the bridge to nowhere, this is the train to nowhere. The place to have put the track should have been along the coast but, that would have been expensive and take too long. So what do they do, build it where the land is cheap and no one cares...the only problem, there's no real ridership there. Stupid.
More people live in between LA and San Fransico in the Central Valley than the Coast. It will initially run from Sacramento to Bakersfield, with Bakersfield-LA opening 4 years later.
@@AVeryRandomPerson You're excluding the populations of LA and SF in that coastal total...how convient. There's no way a Bakersfield-Sac or LA-Sac will vaguely closely economical considering the cost. The whole thing is a flim-flam grift. Stop lying.
@@rickden8362 I didn't include the population of the Termini as they are at the ends of the route, and your comment inclined in between the termini. I also didn't include them in the Central Valley route.
@@AVeryRandomPerson Well, that was pretty disingenuous because when this was being proposed it was being sold as a substitute for air travel between major cities.
Nice overview :) What I don't really get is why HSR is going over a lot of stuff, instead of the stuff going over/under HSR. Like, couldn't the BNSF and roads go over the HSR? I'd think that would be cheaper because of the long ramps that HSR require.
We need: 1. West coast HSR from Vancouver BC Canada to San Diego CA. 2. Midwest HSR from Chicago to Huston. 3. East coast HSR from Montreal Qb Canada to Miami FL. And that’s just start, from then on, there is potential to expand from these locations to elsewhere, such as Seattle to Billing Montana and then to Denver Colorado before back to Chicago!!
I'm now skeptical that the train will actually travel at 220 mi/h in service. Many of those curves are too sharp for that speed unless they are significantly banked, which might not be allowed by regulations because soups and drinks would be spilled (this is an intercity train, so food and drinks are allowed) if the train needs to operate slower than normal in those sections in an emergency. To get 220 MPH (354 km/h) service, you need curves with huge radii like those on the Tohoku Shinkansen (currently 320 km/h (199 MPH), planned for 360 km/h (224 MPH) service), CRH Beijing-Wuhan-Guangzhou Railway (350 km/h (217 MPH)), CRH Chongqing-Chengdu Railway (currently 350 km/h (217 MPH), 380 km/h (236 MPH) planned), Shanghai Maglev (430 km/h (267 MPH), or Chuo Shinkansen under construction (500 km/h (311 MPH)).
@@AVeryRandomPerson Yeah, but do you think the government is able to follow the law set by themselves here? I don't think so in this case. Keep in mind that the California State Government has previously set into law itself in 1990, without obstruction from the federal government or intergovernmental organizations, that 10% of new vehicles needed to be zero emissions by 2003, with intermediate annual mandated targets. Even before the law was overturned by a federal district court in 2002, the automakers were way (orders of magnitude) off target to meeting the intermediate targets, let alone the final requirement. You simply can't legislate what is societally impossible to accomplish, let alone what is technically impossible to accomplish (such as running very high speeds on moderate curves, unless comfort and durability aren't considered). Ultimately, you can't beat the laws of physics no matter what.
@@00crashtest I agree. Way too many people think that legislation supersedes the laws of physics (or economics). It’s like the Acela on the East Coast- it’s high speed rail from NY to DC but you can’t approach those speeds north of NYC to Boston. Why wasn’t this just a high speed rail link between LA and SF with a stop in Sacramento…. screw the Central Valley and all the other political objectives. I have no problem with high speed rail… but it needs to pay for itself after 20 or 30 years.
@@00crashtest This wasn't legislated. It was voted in by referendum. Referendums become part of the state constitution, so its a whole other level of judicial weight. What happens when it can't make L.A. to S.F. in 2h40m? If it's ever finished, I think we'll find out because the margin of error to make the required times is extremely thin.
Thanks for the video. I just came back from Europe. I took the high speed rail Eurostar from Paris to London. It was so much easier, enjoyable experience. You put your luggage on a rack or overhead capartment. The seats were comfortable. The bathrooms on board were more spacious and clean than the ones on the plane. But best of all, going through security and customs is much more faster and easier at the train station than at the airport. When I flew from Frankfurt Germany to LAX I had to go through 3 customs checks! Believe me, while I was riding the Eurostar high speed rail, the thought that came to my mind was, why is this not in America? It was an awesome experience. A flight from Paris to London os an hour and 15 minutes, whereas a train ride is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Still, they drop you off in the middle of the city where airports are usually towards the end of a city. As for CA, can you make a video on the efforts to bring high speed rail from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Believe me, my only concern is will I able to get a ticket when a line between those 2 cities is established. P.S. the only negative about traveling the Eurostar star was the price. I admit I got the ticket at the last minute. But, a round trip ticket cost me 450 Euros, which translate to almost 500 US dollars. The plane would have been a little cheaper. If this high speed rail is to work ot needs to be not only a better experience from start to finish, and I have not doubt it would be, but it needs to be a little cheaper than the plane ticket. I went on and purchased the tickets to see what it was like to ride a high speed rail.
I wrote an op-ed to make the case for completing the LA to SF high speed rail line by 2028 to unveil it at the LA Summer Olympics, just as Japan unveiled the first Shinkansen at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and how such a goal even if out of reach under the best circumstances is still worth getting behind because it can rally wider public support, help incentivize greater investment and accelerate construction to make it closer to reality.
@@TheFourFoot the Streetsblog one they edited quite a bit after I submitted it, but it essentially kept what I was going for. The main point was to address the CA State Legislature, who to my understanding gets final say in how much funding CAHSR receives so they’re the one who ultimately holds the fate of CA high speed rail, and make the case that California needs to finish the LA to SF route and be the one to bring true high speed rail to the US just as the Shinkansen brought it to the world.
My two cents, coming from a country that is operating HSR for several decades: - High speed operation between Bakersfield to Merced is not viable. - The connections to LA and SF are essential. Digging of the tunnels has to start ASAP. - Current construction should be completed without electrification and stations. - Let the San Joaquins run on the tracks. Siemens Charger can do 125mph, dramatically reducing travel time along the valley. - Start HSR with train sets and new stations only after at least SF or LA are connected.
They really should just connect it to the regular tracks on the northern end and build temporary stations to allow San Joaquins to use it until the complete the section from Sacramento-Merced. Then build the section from LA-Bakersfield, LA-Anaheim can come later, the tunnels are more important.
There are over one million people in the Fresno area alone. Hardly unpopulated. And connecting this area to the coastal area is genius -- I never thought of that until watching this video.
This is NOT Europe where countries are the size of our states. High-speed rail is a waste of money. You people think this is Europe or Japan which we are not. The trains will be barely used.
@@TohaBgood2 , I’m talking project management and engineering. Are you assuming our system is structurally incapable? Is not “just a little longer”. It will be 200 years before you have a rail system to rival China’s. The California HSR started before China even began theirs.
@@TohaBgood2 , California started in 2007. China started in 2008 if I recall. Anyway, I don’t want argue the details, and I will just go with your facts. But I was under the impression that our capitalist, market based system of bond issuance, etc, is better at allocating resources and innovation. The examples you cite are structural issues in USA and China. Ok, I’ll give California another 10 years. But I’m afraid that, well before then, I would have already been riding the HSR from Thailand to China. BTW, I have a tenant in vegas who is from Europe and working on the Victorville - vegas HSR. I asked him when they will build the line. All he says is “we will see”. Apparently, they will use Siemens technology. I’m really excited to see the kind of innovation and outcomes we can produce. I’m being facetious here, because I can’t stay excited for decades!
@@TohaBgood2 , I have been to China many times. Back in the day, I rode their slow trains where passengers have to sit on the floor of carriages. I have ridden their fast trains and their maglev. I have seen the Chinese viaducts assembled like Lego sets while we still build ours, on site, using wood forms. Thailand is also building train HSR faster than California and they started later. You can argue all you want but the facts are that we don’t have a train while they have a whole network. You also seem to argue that an authoritarian system is more efficient. I don’t know…. but I remember my social science classes where the argument was that a democratic system is more efficient, inevitably leads to more innovation, and produces superior outcomes. A political system is only worth what it delivers to the people. Like I said, I’ll be patient and give us another 10 years; then I’ll see where I can enjoy riding the HSR in USA. Watch CGTN and you will see China opening a new HSR line every week. I don’t want to argue politics. But from an engineering perspective, what they’re doing is awesome!
@@TohaBgood2 , so the richest country that is the USA can’t build infrastructure as fast as a third world country like Thailand. I live in San Diego, and I doubt I will see HSR in my lifetime. An engineer doesn’t care about the legal, societal and financial hurdles. He only knows the resources are not there to get the job done. That’s why the Chinese rail network is mind blowing. There is even an app to order food from local restaurants to be delivered while the train is in station. Here in San Diego, I take Amtrak to LA union station at my own risk. The trains are frequently late or canceled, so a trip to LAX to catch a flight is not just risky business, but almost a whole day affair. I guess that’s the price of living in a developed country!
@@TohaBgood2 , from my perspective, as a supporter of public transport, there was massive misallocation of resources. The democratic process didn’t work because people only thought they got what they want - the process was highjacked by the auto industry. I feel sorry for me, but I don’t feel sorry for America because people still think urban sprawl is the best way to go. We are seeing cities around the world developing more sustainably with public transport. My bet is that 30 years from now, we, Americans, will find our cities to be subpar compared to our peers abroad. People here live isolated in the suburbs, and even almost all American cities are not livable without a car. Mental health, depression, and addiction are epidemic in the US because of isolation that the urban architecture exacerbates. Maybe we got what we deserve.
Merced to Bakersfield would be barely profitable. HSR are usually built to connect 2 highly dense urban destinations and that's how they generate profit. How can this get public support without profitability and high ridership? I hope SF is connected to LA via HSR by 2027 so it can be profitable and at the same time shuttle passengers for the summer Olympics.
THANK YOU for mentioning that ICE cars are only slightly worst than electric. Don’t get me wrong, electric cars, trucks, and even air transportation, is great, but it’s not the true hero of the story. Getting a real transportation network that focuses on REALITY and not fantasy (coast to coast high speed rail is NOT a good idea but better speed transportation on dedicated track between high speed rail in specific locations IS a good idea) We need more people to realize it’s not about getting rid of all ICE and all airplanes and all coal/natural gas electric plants, it’s about putting forward more reliance in greener energy power and transport but not completely destroying older tech because we will still need it for a diverse power grid structure. Pro Tip: If we really want CO2 enmities down and the environment better cared for, we better stop pretending that NUCLEAR POWER is bad.
Amen! That last bit of commentary says it all. I'm from NYC, and I hope I live long enough to see the California HSR running in full. It is very discouraging to watch other countries rapidly building and expanding their HSR systems, while we debate, quite frankly, over bullshit! JUST DO IT! As for my city, we are one superstorm/hurricane away from watching parts of our aging NYC subway system shut down for repairs, not for one or two years, but for as long as 10 years! We could use a major overhaul here (the electrical systems especially), rather than put bandages over a rotting infrastructure.
The passion you have in this video is why I love your channel. You pretty much summed up everything I argue about WHY high speed rail is needed in this country. Thanks again for this video. I have been waiting for it all year.
@@TheFourFoot I don't care how long they are. I think a lot of politicians in this country need to follow your channel...or at least their constituents.
Gwangmyeong, I’m the south of the Seoul metro area. That train was a KTX 1, which of course was a TGV. Several of the sets were built in France. I have a video of footage from the station from 2016. It’s one of my earliest lol
Enjoy your videos. Superbly done!Although now doubtful of it’s completion after reading so many negative reports about it, I really hope this project does get finished successfully…and, within my lifetime. When can we expect another video from you about LA’s rail system?
It's obvious that you spent alot of time on this video, it really shows. Fantastic, and probably the best overview of the entire project that I've ever seen.
Thanks a lot man!
Seconded
love your content.
Fantastic video!
Thanks a lot man!
Hi Sacramento dude
@@davidlafleche1142 can’t agree with that. I think high speed rail will give the country the same boost economically that the interstate Highway did.
The PROBLEM is that you have allot of advocates who want high speed rail from coast to coast when that is unnecessary.
California needs it, Nevada, New Mexico to Texas, Texas, North east corridor, and possi lily a few other places and that’s it.
The country could make use of better speed rail coast to coast that is around 80mph average with better train cars, but not high speed rail coast to coast.
We could also get rid off many inner city expressways and understand that there is a difference between a street and a road.
@@davidlafleche1142 another negative of high speed rail is that the state and fed have no clue how to get it built on budget and on time.
Which also makes people not want it. This project could have been built far better but we suffer from politicians who are corrupt and just don’t know what they are doing.
Ironically environmental studies is one of the big reasons why this project is so expensive and is not finished
@@xjing800 He’s actually a SLO dude now. 😂
This video is what the official HSR project should be putting out! Kudos for the very thorough coverage (again)
It takes people who actually care, and not think someone else should built it with someone else’s money all while they look and take credit for it
If the people part of the project loved this, the people paying for it loved this, and over all the people wanted it, this would be a different project.
Right now it’s just another job for many.
You really hit a chord with how all our most iconic and beloved infrastructure is from the 30s, and how it is pathetic we haven’t achieved anything similar since.
Wow that’s so true. I’ve intuited this but never had the explicit thought
With the obvious exception of the Interstate Highway System.
What's insane is how the US went from having the best public transportation in the world, especially our rail networks, to one of the worst in the developed world.
Nice job presenting a very difficult project; the California High Speed Rail. Having had a 45 year career as a subdivider/developer in the Antelope Valley (Palmdale - Lancaster area). When the idea of a high speed rail system was first proposed I was excited about the possibilities of what a train like that could do for that area. Today I am more excited than ever seeing that the first segments of the system are coming into a completion phase, and the Bakersfield to Palmdale segment has cleared the EIR. I am confident that the train will be built and within the relative time frame that has been set out. Who knows how things will work out, remember, Los Angeles Hosts the Summer Olympics Games in 2028 and the political powers would love to crow over a new operational High Speed Train system allowing Northern Californians the opportunity to attend the games.
I 100% agree! Also, thanks! This was one of the most difficult videos I’ve made, because the project is so massive, and it’s so reviled by so many people. Striking a relevant tone and deciding what to include was a bit of a challenge lol
AI and autonomous vehicle technology will never let high speed passenger rail reach any level of success in the US. Autonomous vehicles are now at the dawn of a new private vehicle revolution which will change everything.
Palmdale will benefit more if a Vegas to Victorville high speed train gets an extension to Palmdale to capture those wanting SF, central valley to Vegas trip via 2 hsr lines.
@@TohaBgood2 AI is paid for by the sure prize of technical dominance. $100 billion + trains are just drain on the economy with no hope of a pay off.. everyone know that. It was doomed from the start.
AI is here and now no turning back.
@@michaelmccarthy4615 autonomous vehicles will still need roads, which tend to get pretty crowded during normal economic times in the Bay Area and LA County. Then it remains to be seen if the current AI tech is ready for prime time.
Just a note about Japan: The plugs in Japan are physically the same, and quite similar to the US ones. However, the AC transmission frequency is different, with the North/East using 50 Hz and the South/West using 60 Hz. Typically in Japan it's not usually an issue since electronic equipment can use either frequency, but the grid transfer capacity between both regions is somewhat limited.
> 1:57
It's also 100 Volts, not 120V as in US
Biggest physical difference is the lack of a ground on the plug, so plugs are all 2 prong instead of 3. Conversion is super easy between US and Japanese plugs, you can easily find 3 to 2 prong converters and about the only common thing people use that causes issues are hair dryers.
@@neilworms2 In Germany, don't know about rest of continent or GB, the plugs are not polarized. It kinda scares hell outa me. It's 220 per leg, you probably know. Hmmm, I don;t know what the potential is between hot legs, 440? =:-O
@@inyobill The potential is 240v still. Unlike the US, Europe doesn't use a center tap to create a neutral. The US is only 120v because they split the 240v into 2 120v phases. In fact, there are breakers that you can get that use the 2 hots rather than a hot and the neutral, giving you a 240v circuit.
Funny the whole thing somehow. Your first track is under construction and plagued by many disputes. And we in Germany are overhauling our high-speed rail for the first time since construction. But it's nice to see how things are going with you as well. At home here in Berlin, the expansion of the Dresden Railway is also moving forward. Here, the new long-distance railway tracks including bridges on Berlin territory have to be rebuilt. It should be ready in 2025. Then the trains from Hamburg to Dresden, Prague and Budapest will take the direct route from Berlin and will no longer have to take detours. The fact that there are still no long-distance railway tracks between Berlin-Südkreuz and Blankenfelde is still due to the Cold War and political disputes after the fall of the Wall. I'm filming the project in Berlin. Greetings from Berlin/ Germany. Sven
Interesting! I’ll check out your videos!
German rail lines are the ones blocking everyone else in europe, It's at the geographic center, but there is no through lines. I can't go from northen europe to france or spain easily by train, I have to change trains a lot, wait, a lot and pay way too much money. German network is only connected inside the country, it doesn't link very well with the neighboring countries. I hope european railways will become integrated, I really hate traveling by plane.
@@ouicertes9764 if you think that's bad try the trains in the UK. Absolute joke.
"German rail lines are the ones blocking everyone else in europe,"
They seem to do everything to not to do much with regards to rail connections with neighbours. Strong car lobby, eh Sven?
@@z00h Jep, strong car lobby. And this has been going on since the 60s. When I look at the drama about the Rhine Valley Railway Karlsruhe-Basel, I could only puke. Completion on the German side in 2041. The access route to the Brenner Base Tunnel... completion open. Railway line Lübeck-Island Fehmarn... very big ? And the Berlin-Frankfurt/Oder line has been under construction since 1990 to upgrade it at 160 km/h...But it's no wonder with these smears as Minister of Transport
Your concluding words were amazing and well put! Fantastic reporting!
Thanks a lot!
I'm glad you're watermarking your videos! your drone coverage of this is spectacular and there's no doubt that news orgs will try to rip it for their use
Haha, perhaps. The authority has plenty of well done videos as well, my angle is showing the whole project. Most people won’t know how difficult it was to film the southern five miles of CP 2-3, but I’m sure someone will appreciate seeing it lol
And others
Honestly if we had High speed rail, I'd never fly again. Absolutely detest it.
Seeing this project come along is inspiring and makes me optimistic. So many people are pessimists about this project but I'm hopeful since so much has been done so far.
@@aabb55777 it’s better for the planet
@@aabb55777 Single seat journey without the stress of going to the airport 2 hours ahead and making transfers from the airport to the city center.
@@TohaBgood2 trains are good people movers; I rode with Thalys from Paris to Dusseldorf and it was a a great experience, and I didn't have to worry about getting there 4 hours early.
And i would never drive. Driving is boring and stressful as hell. I hope this project finishes in the next decade
For the people who are afraid to fly (unless they _really_ have to, like on a trip across the oceans), this is a much better alternative, especially if you don't have to travel more than halfway across the country. So long as they have Wi-Fi, I could ride a train for at least 3 hours at 125mph (which is _the_ benchmark for a bullet train) or faster.
Completely agree that once the Bakersfield-Fresno-Merced link is operational, there will be renewed support. Thanks for the clarion call on CaHSR.
A failed not so high speed train to no where is not going to build support. The two large metros should be served with the shortest cheapest route near I-5 with four stops In total to preserve true high speeds. Two stops in the Bay Area, two stops in the LA area. The central valley presently have Amtrak services, why build a very expensive high speed rail through urban Central Valley cities? Furthermore, high speed rail commands first class fares, not coach fares. California would have been better off allowing SNCF to build their new high speed train adjacent to I-5 a decade ago, that high speed train would be running today... But noooooo, politicians and politics robbed California...
Fore my that's for the lack of it being not finished and this bull about bug threat thank the last a hole in the wite house if people wront scared yes it would be finished so think on that
It's going to do the opposite! Operating costs will be thru the roof and each train will either have insane ticket costs that no one will pay or will burn cash. No one is travelling between those cities can afford an express train. They will drive their pickup truck
@@skiparkcityut Think CA would be smart enough to make the tickets cheap through different means. Only way operating costs would be thru the roof is if the authority decides to be more "high tech" in everything or by approving the cheapest contract for rolling stock as they did with bridge construction (you probably know how that went).
@@ronclark9724 Largely agreed with the stops, honestly way too many stops in the central valley. The worst part is sharing a corridor with commuter trains as we literally could build an independent high speed corridor in BOTH LA and SF for the current cost. Sadly politics is politics, the high speed line would have been completed a decade sooner if it weren't for that (and be way more cheap).
One point for rail travel in general that I think is under represented is that pretty much no matter the circumstance, you can do work, read, or whatever for your entire time in the vehicle as well as that you get decent legroom and flexibility. Planes are cramped, noisy, and a ton of hassle, driving is an exercise in stress management and paying constant attention. I personally never have any reason to go to LA, but system-wide improvements, including cities improving their bike, bus, and light rail infrastructure so that connection to HSR, can only do to make rail travel easier and more convenient to all of us. I'd take the Capitol Corridor to SF all the time if it were easier to get to!
The reason that your airplane seat has no legroom is to keep the cost of travel down and operate a profitable service.
There are plenty of improvements planned along the Capitol Corridor to improve speed and reduce the overall travel time.
I still remember voting for this in college. So crazy it hasn't been completed yet, living in Japan at the moment makes me realize how important having a strong rail network is.
It's not crazy. It's situation normal for California projects - over budget and behind schedule If there was popular demand for rail service, Amtrak would have budget surpluses.
A long time ago the US love to ride the train. Now, the high-speed rail system is underway, and I believe the Shinkansen high-speed rail will be a POWER of transportation in the US. Welcome aboard.
As someone that has lived in California for over 40 years, I really hope this project completes. I would love to be able to take this to see my parents, and would visit them way more often than I currently do.
And in your dream trip to your parents' house, how much of the tab are you expecting the public to pick up?
Late, but great video! You covered a lot while keeping it relatively short
High-speed rail really does need to happen! It's overdue.
With increasing taxes in California, population is declining... Isn't it too late to build it now?...
Not for the people who actually can afford the million dollar homes in the state, whom this exactly caters to.
@@MasterExploder61 I don't think there are going to be a lot of them. You see, taxes are one of the biggest enemies of the rich and when they go up, the rich are first to move out!
I am rooting for California to complete this! This will also help with the housing crisis, and it will be an economical and popularity boost for cities along the HSR lines. And maybe - hopefully - this will inspire other states to follow suit with similar projects.
Unfortunately, I strongly believe automakers and airlines are going to torpedo this project.
@@denelson83 It's a bit too late for that.
@@wta1518 Elon Musk already tried to torpedo it with his "hyperloop" gambit.
@@denelson83 And failed.
@@wta1518 Well, that will not stop Big Auto and Big Airlines from continuing to try.
I have to say that I agree it's time for California to finish this project. This is a very smart investment to the country. This will revolutionize the country in a lot of ways economically. It will reduce congestion on Freeways, enable to mobilize a new work force from a more cost saving region. Being able to connect with Brightline going into Las Vegas will make both States an economic boom tourist, and work force commuting. Doing this one thing would create thousands of jobs. Connecting Larger cities to smaller cities in rural areas saving time and money. Thousands of new businesses will open as a result of this project. Holiday travel will become easier.
I really suspect a lot of the hand ringing about the cost of the project is about people playing political games. In first case, California's budget surplus this year was North of $75 billion. Some of that could easily be used to completely fund the rest of the project. That of course doesn't include money coming from the new infrastructure bill of 1.3 trillion.
That pile of dirt that disappeared to be replaced with a piling may have been there as a weight to compress the land that the piling would go in to. A common sight in Vancouver is a pyramid of dirt with the top 1/3 or so covered in tarps held down by used tires; after two years or so it gets removed and they start building the foundation of a high-rise.
Everyone went bonkers when CHSRS ballooned in cost, as if the Shinkansen didnt go through that too.
Thanks for update. I drive SR99 on a regular basis past several of these projects but don’t have the overhead view. I wish California HSR Authority provided as complete overviews as your annual updates. Thanks again.
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!
As a structural engineer on the east coast it sure is interesting to see construction on such a large scale where roads can just be moved and there's room for massive structures. That dirt pile at the north end of the station is being used for settlement of the soil. Abutments are heavy and the soil would start sinking little by little. A massive dirt pile at that location puts the weight on the soil before the abutment is built so that by the time the rails are placed and trains are running, the soil already had a chance to settle.
You are turning me into to a train and infrastructure nerd and I love it. When I have to demonstrate why we need to finish this project I point my browser to your youtube channel. Thanks and I look forward to more videos.
I just want these trains to be finished so that airlines can stop destroying my wheelchair and delaying my departure. Imagine being forced to wait an extra 30 minutes to an hour for someone to unload your wheelchair and cramp you into a small isle chair, only to find out they broke something. Never had that kind of experience when taking the Sunrail in Orlando.
Yeah, I’m sure that’s a pretty awful experience!
I'm so sorry to hear this. How heavy is your wheelchair? I worked for the airlines, and those heavy wheelchairs all have to be handled by hand. I remember when we were unloading a very heavy electric wheelchair once, and the worker in the baggage bin didn't set the brakes before putting it on the belt loader. That wheelchair came ripping down the belt and almost hit me. Had it hit me, I would have definitely had broken bones or possibly killed. I was horrified after seeing it land on its side on the ramp. I know this is someone's legs, and I knew it was damaged.
Then there were other situations where we would get it offloaded and had to take it to the other side of the airport to get it up the elevator, then get it all the way to the gate so we could give it to the passenger. This sometimes took 20 minutes or more.
A few things I would like to see happen is better instructions on how to handle the wheelchair. And!! A device that can be used to safely load the wheelchair into the aircraft. Those belt loaders are not practical when loading a large and heavy wheelchair. I wish all the wheelchairs had the same process on how to turn the power off on them. We would normally have to remove the battery and disconnect the wheelchair for safety reasons. It would be challenging sometimes. This led to delays in getting the wheelchair boarded or to the customer quickly.
Any advice or suggestions? I ask, because I would like to find a way to reduce this from happening to you and others who use wheelchairs when flying. I would love to invent a machine that could load these easier and prevent them from being damaged.
@@ChrisJohnson-hk6es It’s nice to hear someone who cares so much! My wheelchair is very light, most people have no issue lifting it even with one hand with the brakes on. It’s a manual so that’s probably why. The wheels and seat come off, sometimes I take the seat with me on the plane. The back folds down. It can fit into most spaces with puzzle work.
I think the best way to help is by asking the user the best way to take the chair apart and put it together and how the brakes work. Most of the issues I’ve had have come from people showing up last minute to board me on the plane and then not bothering to listen to me explain how my chair works. It then ends up with my wheels not being all the way on, causing them to fall off while I’m pushing myself. I’m sure you can imagine how that ends.
Honestly, they should make a manual that has the most common types of wheelchairs and how they function on hand to avoid these incidents if there isn’t enough time to hear from the user.
I usually don’t have an issue with the wait time, just the manhandling of my chair and my body. My feet getting caught under the boarding chair is not a fun experience. To think they’re actually surprised when I say “Ow!” as if twisting my ankles far enough wouldn’t hurt eventually.
Oh, you don't like the airport baggage demolition dept. handling your essential equipment? Picky, picky, picky.
@@GlitterSkies I am so sorry!! I am now thinking about bringing this issue up to some higher ups at the airline I work for. I do think there needs to be more training for ramp workers on how to properly handle wheelchairs. Do you have an email address you can share, or a website I can contact you at? I really want to make it more aware and see if there is more airlines can do to address issues like this. I know you aren't the only one that has stories like this. I think every single airline should have more extensive training on this subject
Sorry for the late reply! I am still kind of figuring out youtube. 😂😂
I feel that one of the best ways to both obtain funding for rail projects like CHSR and increase the populace's willingness to support them is to simply reduce the heavy subsidies on other forms of transportation, such as Air. Seeing as how these subsidies are one of the main reasons US passenger rail DIED in the first place. This would force airlines to up their prices, making the train a more appealing competitor, not to mention not having to deal with TSA.
THIS. So frustrating and people can’t comprehend it somehow
I often ask the detractors when they bring up subsidization of HSR about subsidisation of the ALL-cost Interstate Highway System. It's not expected to generate ANY revenue.
@@inyobill that is another very good point.
Great analysis.
I've always said the old traditional way of building more freeways encourages more motorists to purchase vehicles which causes more pollution and congestion which is now a big step backwards.
California is the richest state in America and 5th richest economy in the world and should be keeping up with the rest of the world I.e. UK, Europe, China and Japan.
This is a great project and yes hope it gets completed.
You’re absolutely right! Thanks!
You forgot they are broke, and businesses are leaving the state due to excess taxes.
5th richest in the world, but one of the most income unequal states. Big tech grew out of the Bay Area, and yet many are becoming homeless and poorer, while the rich get richer. Where's the wealth going? Not to regular Californians, for sure. The rich is just fine riding their helicopters and private jets to work. Shitty Caltrain service, congested and broken tollways, and Bart is for the plebs.
Elloquently said
@@TohaBgood2 All complete falsehoods and made up bs. You don't even sound like you livehere. Who's the ones buying up luxury apartment units? Definitely not the long-timer locals. The old locals oppose the LUXURY apartment developments, NOT affordable housing, you fucking idiot. It's the ones who live in those glass palaces in the sky who don't want low-income housing because of the fear of crime and lower property values.
Yay, Finally
It’s been a while lol
I'm a highway engineer, and I can confirm that adding lanes do not solve traffic congestion, and at times, making it worse. Seems count-intuitive, but it's a fact of life. I won't go into why, but Google has plenty of explanations if you want to know more.
Impeccably executed and presented! Watching from the Netherlands, I hope that a complete California HSR from SF to LA comes to fruition. Will it happen in my lifetime? (I am 65.)
Hope so!
Hopefully, the first section should be open in just 7 years.
Japanese high speed railway also went overbudget, several folks were arrested for corruption but now it is all milk and honey because it works
I am looking to seeing the full flyover videos! I have not been to California recently and from this preview it looks like a lot has been done of the ROW segments between structures since your last video.
For sure! There’s a lot more going on than I could cover in an update. There are hundreds of canal crossings and storm culverts built that are pretty boring, but obviously necessary to complete the project
13 years after the project started, this is all that is done? pathetic. the infrustructure in US is already way behind, and falling even further every day. they ought to feel the pressure to catch up, fast.
Great video and thank you for including SI/metric units as well. Hopefully this project progresses quickly so Bakersfield to Merced HSR segment is complete.
The most difficult part will be the routing to the SF Bay Area. The preferred routing to Gilroy is probably the best since it avoids built-up areas but it is also quite difficult since it needs to cross the Diablo Range near Pacheco Pass.
Looking forward to future updates, it's interesting you're covering this living all the way over in Nebraska - thanks for the dedication!
I legitimately cannot wait for this to be finished. Just knowing from the numbers how massive of a state Cali is, both in population and area, having a high-speed corridor connecting the cities is going to be a HUGE benefit to commerce for everyone. The Surfliner is proof of that enough, and it even doesn't go that fast!
Absolutely right!
I wish they would have expanded that service instead. Once per hour would have been a good thing.
Even that I know would be limited. The wealth communities on the coast would never allow for electrification. Keep in mind the electrification would have to be very high because BNSF runs double stack containers through there.
Do you really think Californian's will ride that train...high speed or not..the people of California will NEVER leave their almighty SUV's to ride a train. The people of California will go to their grave buried with their SUV's next the them along with their almighty IPhone.
@@aabb55777 I do
The Surfliner was much faster back in the 1950's when it was called the San Diegan. Santa Fe railway designated at least one San Diegan per day as a non stop express between San Diego and LA which meant that the trip was two hours and 15 minutes...which is 40 minutes faster than today's Surfliner. Santa Fe also ran non stop express trains between LA and Del Mar on days of the race track. No such thing exists today.
Wow, that’s what I call a comprehensive report.
What's clear from your video is that the High Speed Rail project is clearly a "road improvement project." Seeing the number of highways and roadways being reconstructed for cars, and not HSR, show why the costs of the project have continued to escalate. I'd be curious to see a breakdown of how much of the HSR budget is actually going into roads and utilities.
While it's great that this capacity is being built, seeing the flyover of the Bakersfield station is one of the major reasons I'm concerned about the effectiveness of this project - it looks to be in a completely industrial area / likely transit desert. While I'm sure some local transit will be rerouted, it looks like there's almost nothing around the area, showing that those renderings of the "reinvigorated area" likely a pipe dream if one still needs a car to get around the area. Are there plans for a mixed-use development around the HSR station?
Yeah, you’re not wrong. Particularly if this project doesn’t get completed and trains actually start running, it will be all about roads. Yes there are plans to develop the areas around stations, particularly in Fresno, where much of the land around the station has been cleared. Bakersfield however has been much less receptive to HSR, which is why the station will be built on the edge of town and not the center. Bakersfield however didn’t have any problem sacrificing neighborhoods for the new freeway that’s being built, though…
What you describe happens with all HSR projects around the world in populated areas with existing public infrastructure like roads, bridges, and highways. I'm surprised you wouldn't have thought that would be the case. And more of these kinds of mitigations will take place the closer the project construction gets to major cities. In fact, studies are happening now in L.A. about what current crossings will have to be completely grade separated that will then result in rerouting existing roads, etc.
Many of the early train stations in the 20s were not necessarily built in areas with high density of businesses or residences. They tended to be at the edge of what then was perceived to be the cities boundaries. I'm sure you've seen many videos where you see the train station/stop in kind of an isolated location. Forward decades later and the train station is now surrounded by a whole bunch of stuff. That will happen in Bakersfield too.
@@TheFourFoot And of course Bakersfield is a bastion of conservatism in CA.
@@TheFourFoot Noting the new developments around BART stations I feel like we can successfully develop the area after high speed rail has been completed. California needs more housing so this would definitely help.
The Bakersfield HSR station will be a ten minute walk to downtown and many restaurants, a five minute Uber ride to hotels, museums, and other entertainment options. It's also right next to a major highway. It's not exactly a "transit desert." I happen to pass by the area on my daily commute and know the area well.
Brilliant. I have a thought though. I work for HS2 in the UK and it's being built with connections to the existing railway. This means that HS2 trains can also serve cities that are not on HS2 (not travelling at full speed when they are on the conventional network but still at the maximum speed possible on those lines). Could this be done with California High Speed Rail, so that you could still use the line to travel from LA to SF, at say 250mph on the new line and 125mph on the existing lines?
Yes, the new line can and will be connected to existing rail network in Burbank and San Jose. Due to the constraints of freight rail system, there likely won’t be many trains that use both networks, but for the foreseeable future of course, HSR will use the Caltrain corridor and the Metrolink corridor in LA.
@@TheFourFoot you need legislation to give intercity passenger trains priority over freight
Yes, we do lol. More specifically we need the legislation we already have to be enforced…
Anyone who's driven 5 between the Bay Area and LA knows how congested it's become. The number of traffic clogging trucks alone has made it a difficult and frustrating drive. Flying is no longer easy as the flight time may be short, but everything involved with air travel takes much much more time than the actual flight itself. Rail is the way to go, with it speed, flexibly and minimal environmental impact, it's been long overdue. The presentation was well done.
Thanks a lot!
Anything that takes less than two hours to get out of Los Angeles I consider a miracle.
it won't be long and cars will drive themselves. Convoys of cars going 150 mph will make rail even more obsolete than it is now. Cars can go everywhere, trains are limited by the EXPENSIVE tracks.
@@TheBandit7613 Don't hold your breath on car convoys. Problem is we need solutions NOW and trains are a perfect solution.
@@TheBandit7613 A train is A BUNCH OF CARS CONNECTED TOGETHER LMFAOOOO.
Auto cars need expensive freeways because each automobile is a huge object that is used by an average 1 1/3 people
Lol out loud. This "train" only connects nowhere to nowhere. Think about it. It goes through the central valley. That's just farmland. And besides cars don't pollute so much carbons as "trains" because they are airplanes fly between sfo lax. Aeroplane is faster because half time only 1 hr take 3 "train". If no less, budget over car superior. Interstate California 99 South is US 395 exist. If you don't car you no freedom. This "train" cost more than peanut but less than country. High speed "trains" bad environments car good. If only put gone "train", less more. Nowhere to good is bad less than more potato. However, Every Line Pays.
For anyone who couldn't tell, this is meant to be extremely thick sarcasm.
You actually got me at the first few sentences -until you called cars planes.- actually, "they are" is a typo "there are" but combining cars with airplanes for no reason, as well as the use of quotes around "train" was still the giveaway it was a joke.
Yay!
Why tf isn’t the northeast (a place which would benefit from HSR way more) doing this I mean come on are we really gonna let that overrated/car dependent/self-combusting/scorching hot beat us at fucking transit.
No, you should not! I love California's high-speed rail, but the northeast United States should compete to build their own high-speed system because trains go brrrrrrrrrr... Some of the greatest technological advancements were birthed out of the competition between two global superpowers. Now, with the absence of one, the other only has itself to compete with.
Great video!
Thanks!
The engineers are genius for the way they planned this.
By making the first 4 CPs out in the middle of nowhere and the easiest to build, you force the harder parts to be done later (the tunnels) and motivates full funding over time.
“Well, there’s no turning back now”
The tunnels in and out of San Francisco Bay and in LA + under Burbank will be some of the most expensive.
I think we’re looking at a $250B project when it’s all said and done-but still worth it. When the environment benefits, we all benefit.
We need to become an energy-efficient species.
I mean then what’s the use of Fission research? More electricity for refining more fuels?
This is the next logical step for our civilizations.
Thanks for coming back to CA to do an update on the CAHSR. Even the rail authority doesn't even have a good educational video like this to show to everyone.
Why not build a high speed railway line from New York City, Washington DC, Newark, New Jersey, Chicago and Detroit to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Jose, San Diego, Vancouver and with extensions to Toronto, Miami, Oklahoma and other major cities in the USA and Canada.
California just deferred $4.2 Billion in HSR funds and another $1 Billion in rail projects in LA for the Olympics in 2028. Does California really want HSR and Mass Transit? Depends on who’s palm is greased.
Less cars on the interstate better for semi trucks 😎
I love these updates from you! My one (small) request is that if you do more of these, when you show the "here's last year and here's this year" flyovers, put the year on the screen. Keep up the great work!
Tule is pronounced toolee.
America is being outspent on its crumbling infrastructure and high speed rail development because some of us have been convinced to spend 13 billon dollars ($13,000,000) on one aircraft carrier. Each is host to fighter planes, that cost 325 million dollars ($325,000,000) each. Eventually there will be 13 of these floating machines, each with billions of dollars in FA (fighter attack) aircraft onboard. We need to spend our money on projects like this instead. An excellent video.
loved the video. It restored my faith in this project.
Make America Shinkansen Again!!
Well over 4 trillion dollars was spent on American interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Just imagine if a quarter of that money had been spent on high-speed rail and metro construction in the United States.
It won't be finished in the late 2020s. Probably never more than 1/3 will be built.
The effect on how and where from people commute seems to be pretty massive. Going from Bakersfield to LA , Madera to Bay Area, or Merced to Sacramento in a reasonable time could really change California, for better or worse.
The train doesn't go to either LA or SF yet, and most likely never will. The Tehachapi mountains are MOVING! San Andreas moving, and NO it's not like Japan even one tiny bit.
@@tonyburzio4107 There is earthquake technology to counteract that. BART even has a tunnel that goes through an active fault line. Have some hope, we would have dumped the project years ago. California wants the train, but not some of the politicians as usual.
@@tonyburzio4107 are you dense?
China has high speed rail all over the country. They can afford it. California is the 7th largest economy in the world. The roads are clogged. Air travel is more expensive and crowded. High speed rail will make mobility much easier. California is not a deep south state it sits firmly in the 21 century.
Before going to Japan, I would never believe High Speed Rail would be a game changer---now, I can't wait! Great detailed video
This is an amazing. I didn't realize so much of it has been done!!!
I have to laugh at you for your pronunciation of the Tule River though
I Love this Project!!!!! and I have so many hopes in it!!! thanks For recovering it!!!
Thank you!
If Europe , Asia , even Africa could make it how come we can’t? no way we
will
Finnish it no matter what
"It's time to finish California High Speed Rail". I personally agree. But the Californian Governor doesn't agree...
They’re busy stealing money as an excuse to underfund the project instead of looking to the future on how much money it’ll bring to California’s economy and public transportation system
Blame CEQA ( California's Environmental Quality Act of 1970 )
@@Sweetteawillie We still talking about CHSR or HS2?
@@1ZAXx Some people like to blame the governor for everything. Republicans of course.
It's a great project - As long as it's finished.
Another informative and well researched video. Again, as I've said before, your videos more clearly show just how complex this huge public infrastructure project is and why we need it not only for CA, but the nation too. Well done.
Complex graft you mean!
@@tonyburzio4107 You'r reading comprehension is lacking.
Tremendous work as always! Very satisfying to see the progress on those big viaducts, they really look impressive from above. Glad to see you were blessed with some clearer skies on your trip this year - the footage looks even better with the sun shining. Hope we can see some track being laid before too long!
What rolling stock will the line use?
I'm so happy for Californians and America for wanting to join the 21st century in modern transportation. Believe me, it is a paradigm change to do 500km in less than 2 hours and without the hassle of alienating yourself at an airport. Soo buy the ticket, do the checking, sit comfortably in your seat, and blast across the state enjoying the views with dream ride quality. Visitors and travelers will appreciate it as well as businesses, money well invested in the future (something that many boomers are unable to see). Win/Win situation, .
Greetings from Spain.
They haven't bought any trains yet. Conceptual renderings show the Siemens Velaro, and given Siemens' current dominance of American passenger rail equipment it's not unlikely that they will be chosen in the end. I want CA to pick the Kawasaki efSET but I won't hold my breath
Oh for sure, high speed rail is totally unimaginable for a lot of people, but I’ve been indoctrinated by riding it in other countries lol. Yeah the Valero is a likely contender. Alstom is also going for the contract with the Avelia Liberty, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a CRRC bid. I would love to see Kawasaki will it because they have a factory in my hometown, but I don’t think it’s very likely.
@The Four Foot @Mike Gaskin
Velaros look very good and have a very good ride quality, very comfortable and spacious cars, perhaps more American style, a safe bet. The seating configuration I think is 2 + 1 and 2 + 2 depends on the class. As I am a Talgo Fanboy, I hope they also sign up for the contest ^_^!, they have a factory in Milwaukee I think, and also good designs and a lot of experience. It was also exceptional to see European, American and Japanese machines share line, TGV and ETR (bombardier/AnsaldoBreda) are also excellent machines. Perhaps a difficult dream to see it all together, but I am sure that this line will have a lot of traffic and competition between operators.
The best thing would be to have several types/brands of convoys, it is a delight to be able to mount on different machines at least from the perspective of the client/user/fan. Greetings and I hope to travel in them if I visit California.
All that money spent fighting al-qaeda, we could have built a few of these high speed rail systems
I really hope we get this done as soon as possible! I want to be able to take the train up to San Francisco and it would be great to have this for the entire country also.
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for making these videos! This must have taken so much time and effort!
This project is a debacle. The track being laid is outside the major population centers---how stupid. You've heard of the bridge to nowhere, this is the train to nowhere. The place to have put the track should have been along the coast but, that would have been expensive and take too long. So what do they do, build it where the land is cheap and no one cares...the only problem, there's no real ridership there. Stupid.
More people live in between LA and San Fransico in the Central Valley than the Coast. It will initially run from Sacramento to Bakersfield, with Bakersfield-LA opening 4 years later.
@@AVeryRandomPerson You're excluding the populations of LA and SF in that coastal total...how convient. There's no way a Bakersfield-Sac or LA-Sac will vaguely closely economical considering the cost. The whole thing is a flim-flam grift. Stop lying.
@@rickden8362 I didn't include the population of the Termini as they are at the ends of the route, and your comment inclined in between the termini. I also didn't include them in the Central Valley route.
@@AVeryRandomPerson Well, that was pretty disingenuous because when this was being proposed it was being sold as a substitute for air travel between major cities.
Nonsense. There IS real ridership there. You must check a map.
I think it's time for an updated video of the 119 miles of HSR!
Brightline in Florida and California HSR are probably our last, best hope for High Speed Rail in this country. I'm crossing my fingers.
Texas is also considering HSR from Dallas to Houston.
Did not know that ACE was expanding down to Merced. Great video!
Great seeing all the work those folks have done so far. Excited to ride this all the time once completed!
Nice overview :) What I don't really get is why HSR is going over a lot of stuff, instead of the stuff going over/under HSR. Like, couldn't the BNSF and roads go over the HSR? I'd think that would be cheaper because of the long ramps that HSR require.
I love California High Speed Rail.
We need:
1. West coast HSR from Vancouver BC Canada to San Diego CA.
2. Midwest HSR from Chicago to Huston.
3. East coast HSR from Montreal Qb Canada to Miami FL.
And that’s just start, from then on, there is potential to expand from these locations to elsewhere, such as Seattle to Billing Montana and then to Denver Colorado before back to Chicago!!
I'm now skeptical that the train will actually travel at 220 mi/h in service. Many of those curves are too sharp for that speed unless they are significantly banked, which might not be allowed by regulations because soups and drinks would be spilled (this is an intercity train, so food and drinks are allowed) if the train needs to operate slower than normal in those sections in an emergency. To get 220 MPH (354 km/h) service, you need curves with huge radii like those on the Tohoku Shinkansen (currently 320 km/h (199 MPH), planned for 360 km/h (224 MPH) service), CRH Beijing-Wuhan-Guangzhou Railway (350 km/h (217 MPH)), CRH Chongqing-Chengdu Railway (currently 350 km/h (217 MPH), 380 km/h (236 MPH) planned), Shanghai Maglev (430 km/h (267 MPH), or Chuo Shinkansen under construction (500 km/h (311 MPH)).
It has to go between LA and Sacramento in 2:30 by law
@@AVeryRandomPerson Yeah, but do you think the government is able to follow the law set by themselves here? I don't think so in this case. Keep in mind that the California State Government has previously set into law itself in 1990, without obstruction from the federal government or intergovernmental organizations, that 10% of new vehicles needed to be zero emissions by 2003, with intermediate annual mandated targets. Even before the law was overturned by a federal district court in 2002, the automakers were way (orders of magnitude) off target to meeting the intermediate targets, let alone the final requirement. You simply can't legislate what is societally impossible to accomplish, let alone what is technically impossible to accomplish (such as running very high speeds on moderate curves, unless comfort and durability aren't considered). Ultimately, you can't beat the laws of physics no matter what.
@@00crashtest I agree. Way too many people think that legislation supersedes the laws of physics (or economics). It’s like the Acela on the East Coast- it’s high speed rail from NY to DC but you can’t approach those speeds north of NYC to Boston. Why wasn’t this just a high speed rail link between LA and SF with a stop in Sacramento…. screw the Central Valley and all the other political objectives. I have no problem with high speed rail… but it needs to pay for itself after 20 or 30 years.
@@00crashtest This wasn't legislated. It was voted in by referendum. Referendums become part of the state constitution, so its a whole other level of judicial weight. What happens when it can't make L.A. to S.F. in 2h40m? If it's ever finished, I think we'll find out because the margin of error to make the required times is extremely thin.
Thanks for the video. I just came back from Europe. I took the high speed rail Eurostar from Paris to London. It was so much easier, enjoyable experience. You put your luggage on a rack or overhead capartment. The seats were comfortable. The bathrooms on board were more spacious and clean than the ones on the plane. But best of all, going through security and customs is much more faster and easier at the train station than at the airport. When I flew from Frankfurt Germany to LAX I had to go through 3 customs checks! Believe me, while I was riding the Eurostar high speed rail, the thought that came to my mind was, why is this not in America? It was an awesome experience. A flight from Paris to London os an hour and 15 minutes, whereas a train ride is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Still, they drop you off in the middle of the city where airports are usually towards the end of a city.
As for CA, can you make a video on the efforts to bring high speed rail from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Believe me, my only concern is will I able to get a ticket when a line between those 2 cities is established.
P.S. the only negative about traveling the Eurostar star was the price. I admit I got the ticket at the last minute. But, a round trip ticket cost me 450 Euros, which translate to almost 500 US dollars. The plane would have been a little cheaper. If this high speed rail is to work ot needs to be not only a better experience from start to finish, and I have not doubt it would be, but it needs to be a little cheaper than the plane ticket. I went on and purchased the tickets to see what it was like to ride a high speed rail.
I wrote an op-ed to make the case for completing the LA to SF high speed rail line by 2028 to unveil it at the LA Summer Olympics, just as Japan unveiled the first Shinkansen at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and how such a goal even if out of reach under the best circumstances is still worth getting behind because it can rally wider public support, help incentivize greater investment and accelerate construction to make it closer to reality.
That’s awesome. I fully support that idea lol
I just read it. That’s a fantastic idea that I hope catches on!
@@TheFourFoot the Streetsblog one they edited quite a bit after I submitted it, but it essentially kept what I was going for. The main point was to address the CA State Legislature, who to my understanding gets final say in how much funding CAHSR receives so they’re the one who ultimately holds the fate of CA high speed rail, and make the case that California needs to finish the LA to SF route and be the one to bring true high speed rail to the US just as the Shinkansen brought it to the world.
if only all Americans especially the politicians had your mindset and vision
My two cents, coming from a country that is operating HSR for several decades:
- High speed operation between Bakersfield to Merced is not viable.
- The connections to LA and SF are essential. Digging of the tunnels has to start ASAP.
- Current construction should be completed without electrification and stations.
- Let the San Joaquins run on the tracks. Siemens Charger can do 125mph, dramatically reducing travel time along the valley.
- Start HSR with train sets and new stations only after at least SF or LA are connected.
They really should just connect it to the regular tracks on the northern end and build temporary stations to allow San Joaquins to use it until the complete the section from Sacramento-Merced. Then build the section from LA-Bakersfield, LA-Anaheim can come later, the tunnels are more important.
There are over one million people in the Fresno area alone. Hardly unpopulated. And connecting this area to the coastal area is genius -- I never thought of that until watching this video.
This is NOT Europe where countries are the size of our states. High-speed rail is a waste of money. You people think this is Europe or Japan which we are not. The trains will be barely used.
Pretty massive engineering project. To think that China built their whole network within 10 years is just mind blowing.
@@TohaBgood2 , I’m talking project management and engineering. Are you assuming our system is structurally incapable?
Is not “just a little longer”. It will be 200 years before you have a rail system to rival China’s. The California HSR started before China even began theirs.
@@TohaBgood2 , California started in 2007. China started in 2008 if I recall.
Anyway, I don’t want argue the details, and I will just go with your facts.
But I was under the impression that our capitalist, market based system of bond issuance, etc, is better at allocating resources and innovation.
The examples you cite are structural issues in USA and China.
Ok, I’ll give California another 10 years. But I’m afraid that, well before then, I would have already been riding the HSR from Thailand to China.
BTW, I have a tenant in vegas who is from Europe and working on the Victorville - vegas HSR. I asked him when they will build the line. All he says is “we will see”. Apparently, they will use Siemens technology.
I’m really excited to see the kind of innovation and outcomes we can produce. I’m being facetious here, because I can’t stay excited for decades!
@@TohaBgood2 , I have been to China many times. Back in the day, I rode their slow trains where passengers have to sit on the floor of carriages. I have ridden their fast trains and their maglev.
I have seen the Chinese viaducts assembled like Lego sets while we still build ours, on site, using wood forms.
Thailand is also building train HSR faster than California and they started later.
You can argue all you want but the facts are that we don’t have a train while they have a whole network.
You also seem to argue that an authoritarian system is more efficient. I don’t know…. but I remember my social science classes where the argument was that a democratic system is more efficient, inevitably leads to more innovation, and produces superior outcomes. A political system is only worth what it delivers to the people.
Like I said, I’ll be patient and give us another 10 years; then I’ll see where I can enjoy riding the HSR in USA.
Watch CGTN and you will see China opening a new HSR line every week. I don’t want to argue politics. But from an engineering perspective, what they’re doing is awesome!
@@TohaBgood2 , so the richest country that is the USA can’t build infrastructure as fast as a third world country like Thailand.
I live in San Diego, and I doubt I will see HSR in my lifetime. An engineer doesn’t care about the legal, societal and financial hurdles. He only knows the resources are not there to get the job done. That’s why the Chinese rail network is mind blowing. There is even an app to order food from local restaurants to be delivered while the train is in station.
Here in San Diego, I take Amtrak to LA union station at my own risk. The trains are frequently late or canceled, so a trip to LAX to catch a flight is not just risky business, but almost a whole day affair. I guess that’s the price of living in a developed country!
@@TohaBgood2 , from my perspective, as a supporter of public transport, there was massive misallocation of resources. The democratic process didn’t work because people only thought they got what they want - the process was highjacked by the auto industry. I feel sorry for me, but I don’t feel sorry for America because people still think urban sprawl is the best way to go. We are seeing cities around the world developing more sustainably with public transport. My bet is that 30 years from now, we, Americans, will find our cities to be subpar compared to our peers abroad. People here live isolated in the suburbs, and even almost all American cities are not livable without a car. Mental health, depression, and addiction are epidemic in the US because of isolation that the urban architecture exacerbates. Maybe we got what we deserve.
Merced to Bakersfield would be barely profitable. HSR are usually built to connect 2 highly dense urban destinations and that's how they generate profit. How can this get public support without profitability and high ridership? I hope SF is connected to LA via HSR by 2027 so it can be profitable and at the same time shuttle passengers for the summer Olympics.
Why should it only be about profit? I doubt free healthcare would be profitable.
That conclusion... Where can I vote for you??!
Haha, as soon as you see my name on a ballot, I promise you, I will have sold out
Well, you might consider supporting him on Patreon.
THANK YOU for mentioning that ICE cars are only slightly worst than electric.
Don’t get me wrong, electric cars, trucks, and even air transportation, is great, but it’s not the true hero of the story.
Getting a real transportation network that focuses on REALITY and not fantasy (coast to coast high speed rail is NOT a good idea but better speed transportation on dedicated track between high speed rail in specific locations IS a good idea)
We need more people to realize it’s not about getting rid of all ICE and all airplanes and all coal/natural gas electric plants, it’s about putting forward more reliance in greener energy power and transport but not completely destroying older tech because we will still need it for a diverse power grid structure.
Pro Tip:
If we really want CO2 enmities down and the environment better cared for, we better stop pretending that NUCLEAR POWER is bad.
Amen! That last bit of commentary says it all.
I'm from NYC, and I hope I live long enough to see the California HSR running in full. It is very discouraging to watch other countries rapidly building and expanding their HSR systems, while we debate, quite frankly, over bullshit! JUST DO IT!
As for my city, we are one superstorm/hurricane away from watching parts of our aging NYC subway system shut down for repairs, not for one or two years, but for as long as 10 years! We could use a major overhaul here (the electrical systems especially), rather than put bandages over a rotting infrastructure.
The Great White Whale
$100 billion plus flushed down the toilet to connect Bakersfield and Los Banos
we spent 20 times that on afghanistan/iraq and got less than nothing for that.
Absolutely awesome info vid!! Loving the comparison and spreadsheet
Thanks! Im glad you liked it!
You threaded this massive topic nicely and created a really great video for this project. You put monumental energy in this and it shows, great job!!
Thanks a lot!
It has to be separate from freight. Trains on U.S. freight railroads are about as fast as a brisk walk, seriously.
I want to keep all the Amtrak trains all year and every year.
@@Sweetteawillie You can partially blame Maryland for both the B&P Tunnel and Susquehanna Bridge issues
LOL I’ll believe it when I see it! I’ve been hearing this same old crap out of California for years!
aight bet
HSR should be built everywhere in the USA. People need to rely less on cars, and more on faster and more efficient public transport.
Is there going to be an update to this video in 2023?
The passion you have in this video is why I love your channel. You pretty much summed up everything I argue about WHY high speed rail is needed in this country. Thanks again for this video. I have been waiting for it all year.
Thank you! I can’t wait to drop the flyovers, even though they will be incredibly long lol
@@TheFourFoot I don't care how long they are. I think a lot of politicians in this country need to follow your channel...or at least their constituents.
I’m sure a couple people will see the flyover videos, it’d be interesting to know who though lol
@@TheFourFoot By the way, what station was that through which TGV was zipping?
Gwangmyeong, I’m the south of the Seoul metro area. That train was a KTX 1, which of course was a TGV. Several of the sets were built in France. I have a video of footage from the station from 2016. It’s one of my earliest lol
Enjoy your videos. Superbly done!Although now doubtful of it’s completion after reading so many negative reports about it, I really hope this project does get finished successfully…and, within my lifetime. When can we expect another video from you about LA’s rail system?
Never
Gonna
Happen
I think the construction proves you otherwise
I would give anything to ride on this train someday. All Aboard! 🚆