Comments on: Barbara Boxer and Ray LaHood Talk HSR and Transit in LA

By: Matthew F.

Matthew F. — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:55:01 +0000

Not skid row! Think of the property values!

By: AndyDuncan

AndyDuncan — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:21:23 +0000

It’s complicated, but mostly centered around plans for Taylor Yard. The redevelopment plan calls for that to be turned into a wetland/natural water treatment and park area. CHSRA wants to run trains through it and perhaps revive it as a maintenance facility. The overall redevelopment plan, however, is much larger than just the Taylor Yard area, and the plan itself calls for integrating with rail, including high speed rail.

The NIMBY complaints so far seem to be limited to:

1: The Aerial through the Arts District/Skid Row and Little Tokyo leading up to and out of Union Station
2: Some complaints from Santa Fe Springs and Whittier about noise impact, which didn’t seem to take off
3: The 50-foot ROW issues in Anaheim, which have been discussed here, and which some people are pushing for a tunnel, though not everyone, and not the people I know who live along the ROW in that area, they want grade separations for freight and metrolink, not just HSR, something a tunnel would exclude.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:49:51 +0000

How big is argument #2 down in LA? On this blog the main NIMBY opposition seems to come from the Bay Area and Orange County, not LA. If you live in LA, you probably don’t have to care about Caltrain or about which pass trains take to go to SF.

By: AndyDuncan

AndyDuncan — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:27:45 +0000

This is not the first time you’ve posted that and claimed it backs up your point when in fact it does not:

“The Export-Import Bank of China is willing to lend the money with the knowledge that if the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission is unable to pay it back, federal officials will.”

“This funding from the bank in China was never contingent on this round of federal funding”

They’re saying that the Chinese bank wants a federally guaranteed loan, and that they don’t care if that guarantee comes from the ARRA funds or not, but make no mistake, they want a guarantee.

What else do you think this means: “if the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission is unable to pay it back, federal officials will.“

By: Victor

Victor — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:41:14 +0000

And I sure don’t see any mention of the loan “hinging” on this or that and for those that say the technology is unproven, I say bah humbug, It’s been working there for 6 years.

Backers of maglev train say Chinese bank prepared to fund project

“It is a very positive development for Nevada’s employment picture and very telling that the financiers who are stepping up to bat are the Chinese, the people most familiar with Transrapid Maglev technology,” Neil Cummings, president of the American Magline Group, said in a press release announcing the loan.

American Magline has contracted with the commission to build the system and is partnering with Transrapid, a German company that built a maglev system operating in Shanghai and has since developed upgrades to the technology that are proposed for the Nevada system.

“In China, it has been operating flawlessly for six years, carrying 20 million passengers over 4.1 million miles,” Cummings said.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:21:05 +0000

Hehe, that’s how the ICE first got to Berlin, if I recall correctly. It may have been a different passenger train, but I can remember our train stopping at the former “border” between the two Germany’s and one of the massive BR 130-series diesel locos pulling us the rest of the way.

By: Victor

Victor — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:20:41 +0000

Yep, Let Freight do what freight does best, HSR was voted in by a majority of the people of the state of California, Not by a distinct Minority.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:15:13 +0000

The contingency isn’t based on ARRA or other stimulus funding. It’s based on other possible federal guarantees.

By: Victor

Victor — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:11:17 +0000

Actually It was said the loan was/is not contingent as is said below

Possible loan from China bank keeps high-speed rail plan alive

The Export-Import Bank of China is willing to lend the money with the knowledge that if the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission is unable to pay it back, federal officials will.

“This funding from the bank in China was never contingent on this round of federal funding,” said Fierro, adding that the agreement was sealed in November. “They’re willing to put up $7 billion, and that is a game changer. This is absolutely enormous.”

The Chinese bank is familiar with the high-speed train technology and its potential, Fierro said. It is estimated that the train would carry 43 million passengers by 2025.

By: AndyDuncan

AndyDuncan — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:00:53 +0000

Exactly, the Chinese loan is contingent on the US Govt backing the loan. In other words, the Chinese bank in question said “We’re willing to loan you money at a rate twice what we could get for US Treasuries, but only if you agree to give us the same level of risk as a US Treasury bond.”

You can get a loan for anything whenever you want if the Govt. is going to back it.

Maglev is a non-starter. Trips will be faster for most people with steel-wheel connections at Mojave and Ontario.