The Day the Engineers Turned Against California HSR

Forbes ^ | 11/04/2011 | Stephen Smith

[JerseyanExile]

On Tuesday, the California High-Speed Rail Authority laid down their cards in the form of a new “business plan” for the proposed line, and its cards are not good – the system is now projected to cost $98 billion in year-of-expenditure dollars, which, taking into account inflation, is about twice the $33 billion figure given in 2008.* But despite the price hike, not many people’s opinions on the project seem to have changed – those who were for it are still for it, while those opposed are even more set against it.

Everyone, that is, except the engineers. I don’t mean actual engineers, but rather the “technical” transit activists that Alon Levy has identified before. Technical transit activists stand in opposition to the “politicals,” which include most mainstream transit advocates and the majority of transit blogs, especially the (relatively) well-financed ones. They tend to be the most boosterish, and view funding rather than competence as the main obstacle to good transit. The technicals, on the other hand, often come from math and hard science backgrounds (Alon is a math PhD and Richard Mlynarik is a pedigreed hacker), and are much pickier about which projects they support.

And after Tuesday’s announcement, it seems, California’s high-speed rail line is no longer something technicals support.

[JerseyanExile]

There is some pretty good info at many of the links in story, like this one. http://caltrain-hsr.blogspot.com/2011/10/blended-like-oil-and-water.html

Even leaving aside the questionable viability of the proposed HSR system for California, the sheer amounts of waste in the proposal is shocking.

[castlebrew]

“I don’t mean actual engineers,...”.

“Actual Engineers” = with an Engineering degree AND a Professional Engineer’s License, or the locomotive operators?

Most State laws require licensure of anyone holding themselves forth as an “Engineer” (not the train-operator type)

[Publius6961]

And after Tuesday’s announcement, it seems, California’s high-speed rail line is no longer something technicals support.

Good to know that "technicals" engineers are the criminals in the Public Transportation unions.

[Pontiac]

the San Francisco peninsula segment of the project… Perhaps the most egregious is the $1.9 billion tunnel (which Clem thought was boondogglous even before the most recent business plan when it was supposed to cost “only” $500 million) they want to dig under Millbrae Station to avoid messing with the existing $100 million at-grade terminal. The decision looks to be a mix of agency turf issues, politicians wanting to save face, and PB being in no hurry to dissuade California politicians from heaping money on them for the unnecessary tunnel.

What a great place to build “High Speed” railroad tunnels; our own “Earth Quake Central” in the “City the Waits to Die”.

A stupid waste of money in a city that believes in the continuous improvement of their stupidity.

[Pontiac]

How come there was nothing said about the cost of fighting the environmental activist in court over the Desert Tortes and the Black Winged Flirting Warbler.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Most State laws require licensure of anyone holding themselves forth as an “Engineer” (not the train-operator type)

No state licensure required for Software Engineers... :)

[jiggyboy]

Here’s one for the kids:

1) $98B at 5% interest for 30 years, how much is that monthly payment?

2) If there are 37M people in California, how much would that cost EVERY SINGLE PERSON every year in extra taxes?

3) If only people who pay CA income tax are counted, how much would it cost each of those taxpayers every single year, in addition to what they already pay?

[ADemocratNoMore]

I, for one would be all for the idea IF they turned the project over, lock stock & barrel, to Taggart Transcontinental & let Dagney run things.