Final Judgement in Atherton v. CHSRA
It's pretty much a formality at this point, but Judge Michael Kenny has issued his final judgement in the case of Atherton v. CHSRA, ordering the CHSRA to revise the EIR for the Bay Area to Central...
View ArticleWill Dianne Feinstein Vote for High Speed Rail?
Today's San Jose Mercury News includes a fantastic op-ed by State Senator Dean Florez (Fresno) and Erin Steva of CALPIRG, calling on US Senator Dianne Feinstein to support the $4 billion for high speed...
View ArticleNovember CHSRA Board Meeting
Use this as an open thread for anyone interested in discussing the November CHSRA Board Meeting. Click here for the agenda, which includes a board vote on whether to accept the staff recommendation of...
View ArticleFresno Puts Its Money Where Its Mouth Is For Maintenance Hub
We've been following the growing contest among San Joaquin Valley cities for the main maintenance hub for the CHSRA system. Back in March CHSRA said Merced's Castle Airport was their first choice for...
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Warren Buffett's Bet on BNSF
by RafaelRecently, Berkshire Hathaway, the company led by renowned investor and industrialist Warren Buffett, announced a takeover bid for the 77% of shares in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF)...
View ArticleCHSRA Initiates Statewide Land Use Planning Effort
San Francisco Chronicle architecture columnist John King writes today of an ambitious state planning project known as Vision California. The project is intended to provide a holistic, statewide model...
View ArticleWestern Rail Alliance Proposes HSR Routes, Including LA-Phoenix
Over the last year or so, since the passage of Prop 1A and the election of a high speed rail-friendly president, there has been a surge of interest in high speed rail across the country, and new...
View ArticleSpoiling the Bunch
One thing that's become clear since the passage of Prop 1A one year ago is that the project's opponents have learned from their defeat. Instead of launching a frontal assault on the concept of high...
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San Diego Group Opposes UCSD/Downtown SD HSR Alignment
While the Peninsula NIMBYs tend to get the most attention from HSR advocates, the fact is that there are NIMBYs across California. It's not a phenomenon unique to the Bay Area. The NIMBYism we're...
View ArticleSomeone Has To Be First
This week's issue of the Sacramento News & Review includes an article discussing Sacramento's frustration at not being included in Phase I of the HSR project:Even though the state’s high-speed rail...
View ArticleDon't Let Arnold Schwarzenegger Divide and Conquer
One of the consistent points this blog has made since we launched in March 2008 is that HSR is part of an overall effort to revive passenger rail in California. HSR isn't a substitute for other forms...
View ArticleSunday Open Thread - From San Diego
Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday - been busy all day with the California Democratic Party's Executive Board Meeting here in sunny, beautiful San Diego. Some news from the southwestern corner of...
View ArticleHSR Should Go Where the People Are
(Rafael helped with some of the research for this post. The words and interpretations are mine, so don't blame him for any errors or controversial statements.)In some ways, the California High Speed...
View ArticleA Reality Check Must Be Grounded In Reality
It's a bold headline from my alma mater: "A Reality Check on High Speed Rail" is how UC Berkeley bills a recent HSR symposium. Already Morris Brown is peddling this as yet another reason why HSR is...
View ArticleThe Biggest Obstacle to HSR in California
For most people looking at California's high speed rail project, the biggest obstacle to its completion would seem to be financial. Prop 1A has put $9 billion on the table to get the project started....
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Sustainable Menlo Park Speaker Series
By BiancaOn November 18, the non-profit group Sustainable Menlo Park hosted a presentation on the latest developments on high speed rail. Sustainable Menlo Park is officially "neutral" on the subject...
View ArticleHow Will the FRA Decide?
As we await the Federal Railroad Administration's decision on awarding the $8 billion in HSR stimulus funds, some observers are wondering how exactly the projects will be selected - and what the role...
View ArticleCA4HSR Submits LA-SD Scoping Comments
Yesterday was the deadline to submit scoping comments to the California High Speed Rail Authority for the Los Angeles to San Diego project segment. Californians For High Speed Rail submitted the...
View ArticleSunday Open Thread
Busy Sunday for me, so please use this as an open thread for anything HSR related.I do also want to give an update on the new site. I'd like to invite you all to come test the new California High Speed...
View ArticleCalifornia Leaders Call for HSR Funding to Create Jobs
This is a welcome letter:In an effort to deal with California's spiraling unemployment rate, Gov. Schwarzenegger and the state's two senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, sent a letter Monday...
View ArticleTuesday Open Thread
Some items as I get things squared away for the holiday weekend:New York State politicians push for HSR - NY applied for $4.7 billion in stimulus funds to build 110mph rail from Niagara Falls to NYC....
View ArticleUnsafe At Any Speed
There are at least four families in Palo Alto who will be having a less joyous Thanksgiving this year - four families touched by the tragedy of suicide. This year, four teenagers have committed suicide...
View ArticleThanksgiving Open Thread
Enjoy your holiday, everyone!I'm staying here in Monterey for the occasion, as I can't imagine a better place to spend a long weekend. But many Californians have taken to the crowded roads this week,...
View ArticleWhy An HSR Design Competition Is An Excellent Idea
One tried and true practice for designing projects with a great deal of public interest - and public controversy - is to hold a design competition. Many important public memorials have been designed...
View ArticleVisit The New CAHSR Blog
Our move to a new home is complete. Please visit us at the California High Speed Rail Blog - http://www.cahsrblog.com/ is the new URL. If you are reading this on RSS, http://www.cahsrblog.com/feed/ is...
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