Bullet train snag could affect Transbay Terminal

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | November 27, 2013 | Phillip Matier And Andrew Ross

[artichokegrower]

Critics have complained that California's high-speed rail project is shaping up to be the bullet train to nowhere. Now that a judge has thrown the project's future into doubt, San Francisco is left to wonder whether it will be stuck with a $400 million train station connected to nothing.

With or without a high-speed-rail line, officials have said the underground station is going to be built at the new, $2 billion Transbay Terminal at First and Mission streets. All the money is in place, and the station is due to be finished in 2017.

But with Judge Michael Kenny having pulled the emergency brake on high-speed rail Monday in Sacramento County Superior Court, the San Francisco station probably will sit empty for some time.

[artichokegrower]

$2 billion train station with no trains. Only in the public sector could this happen. In the private sector if your business plan stated that you were going to build a $2 billion train station that was not connected to any railroads they would laugh you out of the bank. But when the taxpayer money is being provided, money taken at the force of law, common sense does not come into play.

[Jet Jaguar]

PING

[Jet Jaguar]

I know...
I know...

[umgud]

This was never about a train. It was and is all about rewarding unions, politicians and donors.

[Tennessee Nana]

isnt Mister Pelosi involved in this ???

[Insigne123]

Sell it to the Chinese for $25 million so they can run their Teslas on it

[spokeshave]

Ha...Mr Bloom to the rescue

[Secret Agent Man]

this is sanfran freako - if it doesn’t get trains, it’ll get trannies.

[Chode]

ChooChoo Willie LOL!!! but it kinda reminds me of...

This is just what I could pull this morning.

Tax records, city and state permit applications, contract bids.

Shell corporation in Georgia.

That's the one next to Russia, not Florida.

They work one city at a time,
acquiring a local construction concern
just ahead of major civic redevelopment.

They build bridges no one needs.

Highways no one uses.

They're like a cancer.

A cell that won't stop growing.

They moved 12 times in 15 years.

Atlanta, Albuquerque,
Austin, Oklahoma City, Sacramento.

Always amidst allegations of corruption
including millions of dollars in missing public funds.

And yet never an investigation.

Never even an inquiry.

It's as if Lebendauer Enterprises were above reproach.

[digger48]

You can bet Mr. Feinswine is in on it too

[MUDDOG]

a $400 million train station connected to nothing

Take the last train to Frisco, and I'll meet you at the station.

[Revolting cat!]

Well, that's always the problem at the edges of the planet, SHEESH!

[RedMDer]

Less than $2.8k to go!!

Let's finish this today before
Thanksgiving Day!
Thank you!!

We also have a very generous anonymous FReeper donor
issuing a challenge to match the next five $100 dollar donations!!

We still need 1 FReeper to match his challenge!!!

[posterchild]

There is significant value to modes of transportation when they meet, yet this is often neglected. An egregious example is the Las Vegas Monorail. It could drastically increase it’s utility if it connected to the airport yet it fails to do so. Does the taxi lobby have that much pull?

Why do rail lines not connect to airports in so many cities such as Las Vegas, Boston (well, it does have the ‘silver’ line bus), Providence, …?

[Vendome]

Just another hole in the ground.

[Fungi]

Bingo.

[Iron Munro]

When travelling by rail from nowhere to nowhere through the California desert you have to go at least 200 mph.

[Nifster]

Just remember that the Bay Area had the highway to nowhere for the longest time….the280 extension to 101 took forever to complete and was the local joke the whole time

[DoughtyOne]

Snag? LOL

That’s what you call it when a judge rules your efforts to be an illegal enterprise? Really? A snag?

Good grief!

[Billthedrill]

It’s just a “glitch”. ;-)