Considering the fact that there are no plans to change the alignment of the caltrain corridor for cahsr usage, you could technically say that the merced - san fransisco section of the line is actually well under way. Full electrification from san fransisco to san jose mean that the "only" remaining sections are really san - jose to merced through gilroy, and the tunnel under san fransisco.

@_CarlosA

13 күн бұрын

good way to look at it! positive thinking 👍🏼

@cornkopp2985

13 күн бұрын

@@_CarlosA I hope now that the caltrain electrification project is finished they manage to dig up some funding for some metrolink electrification work as well. If they electrified the Antelope Valley and San Bernedino lines then both cahsr and brightline west could run into LA union.... we'll see if there's any more infrastructure money left over for that though lol

@ChrisJones-gx7fc

11 күн бұрын

@@cornkopp2985the SB Line might be an easier sell than the AV, being Metrolink’s busiest and having not much freight traffic (at least no double stacks or autoracks), even without BLW potentially sharing it, which would likely entail capacity issues anyway given parts of that line are single tracked and Metrolink already plans to increase frequencies to 30 minute headways. As for the AV Line, I’d posed this proposal to electrify it for CAHSR to use as an interim route to reach LA on a CAHSR subreddit, where someone explained that when SP sold the tracks to SCRRA/LA Metro in the early 90s, it came with the condition that the tracks never be electrified, which at the time, at least AFAIK, had to do with concern over clearances for autoracks and intermodal, though it’s been known since then that isn’t an issue, so whether they’d be able to electrify them now could be a different story.

@johnhblaubachea5156

10 күн бұрын

Plus 4th & King to Salesforce with no funding lined up, yet.

If Gilroy still had the Garlic Festival, that'd be reason enough for an HSR stop.

@onetwothreeabc

13 күн бұрын

Gilroy also has a large discount shopping mall.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Hell yeah. This times ten.

@biglos9d

13 күн бұрын

Neither of those places are anywhere near the train station though

I appreciate your efforts in documenting the potential alignment for CAHSR.

I think you may have the most dedicated channel for passenger rail in the United States. Always have to watch till the very end for the Stew's Tunes, so great.

Salesforce park closes at 8pm so that’s probably why there was no one.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Possibly. The area in general started clearing out around then as well. Quite a few more people out when I arrived than when I left even though it was only about 45 minutes apart. I assumed middle of the day when the big office towers let out for lunch is probably much busier.

@CARailTravels-xi5io

13 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew I'm honestly shocked that you had such little traffic on that 6th street exit in SF that time of day. Also no worries on getting stuck on that left turn to 3rd (it happens to literally everyone)

@cheshire4938

11 күн бұрын

I used to work in that area, and our team often take our lunches there at the park. It's nice, and not crowded, but definitely filled with people and teeming with activities. Most workers are gone home at the time, hence the almost empty park at 7pm on a Wednesday.

Those bus terminals are usually filled with buses from the east bay during the morning and evening commute, greyhound has its bus services on that bus deck too, and treasure island 25 muni bus. It’ll be an awesome location once all is connected, the best modern train station in all of our major cities for HSR iMO. Centered in the nations second most densely populated city.

The renders are great, great video footage of the route into the Bay Area :D

@felixtv272

10 күн бұрын

I mean for the best footage of the actual route from SF to SJ that you can get you take Caltrain. There's a channel out there, who uploaded the whole journey traking the electrfication process, forgot what it was called though.

The Pacheco Pass section looks challenging and expensive to build, but the rest of it looks like a relative cakewalk. I realize we’re talking about 110 mph speeds in the second half of the video instead of the 220 mph speeds in the first half, but it would still be a massive improvement over the current situation. Hopefully they can figure out a source for the funding needed and get this built sooner rather than later.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

The tunnel under Pacheco Pass is a going to be a HUGE percentage of the cost for this section. It would be nice if they had a phased implementation within the phase to finalize down through the Gilroy facility first. Then they'd be able to run trains Gilroy-SF before finishing the tunnel, especially if funds are a limiting factor like they have been for Merced-Bakersfield.

@williamwlu8284

13 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew Yeah, that's my hope as well: finish everything else but the tunnel first, and run SF-Gilroy express train as soon as possible. Downtown SF extension should be pushed to after the Pacheco tunnels were done.

@Mister8224

13 күн бұрын

Funding is easy, 40K per each Commiefornia resident should get your train. In 40 years.

@The_Poro_King

13 күн бұрын

​@@Mister8224or divert money from freeway expansion

@onetwothreeabc

13 күн бұрын

@@Mister8224 Exactly. Or a 1% value-added tax on the $4 trillion economy of California.

Anyone else here before he remembers to change the title?

@marqueishasparkle5977

13 күн бұрын

😂😂 didn’t know that this was a thing

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

not sure what you're referring to...

@Chario_

13 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew a moment of silence for CAHSRrt3 2V You will be missed... 😔

@angelgarza7437

13 күн бұрын

I saw it, but I didn't have time to watch the video, and by the time I did, it was changed 😥

@kevinlloyd1088

12 күн бұрын

Nice CCR Lodi reference. I would disagree that 280 viaduct is the same design as the Cypress. During one closure, I was part of many thousands of bicyclists who took over part of 280. The structure made it through 1989 quake with no detours.

Shout out for Pea Soup Andersen's!

That is a very nice park up there on top of the (Salesforce) station!

I've done that drive through the central valley and into the 152 dozens of times. This video brings back a ton of memories. My clutch on my honda burned out on the 152 and I had to leave it at the Chevron in Casa De Fruta. Good times. I would definitely rather take a HSR though.

The downtown San Francisco post-Covid "death spiral" is the result of something that everyone who's gone downtown outside of weekday working hours could have observed since forever (same goes for many other cities) - *a dedicated "Financial District" makes no land-use sense.* Even at "full occupancy" it's a ghost town between 6pm and 5am, all that expensive real estate doing absolutely nothing but costing money. There are plans afoot to convert some of those empty office buildings into mixed-use, though it's a lot more complicated than one might think, and to turn the area into more of a 24-hour downtown where people live and do things rather than just commuting into offices during the day & back out at night.

I attended UC Merced from 2013 to 2017 and got to know the area pretty well. Having the UC definitely provided an economic boost for the city. Downtown is pretty nice and has some good places to eat and hang out. A lot of the city is north of the BNSF tracks, virtually all neighborhoods and shopping centers with a few pretty nice parks and walking trails. The city does have a decent bus service, as well as YARTS thruway buses to Yosemite NP. The UC even has its own bus service, called CatTracks (the UCM mascot is a bobcat), that mostly travels between the campus and north neighborhoods where many students live (the 2008 housing bubble made a lot of the McMansion-style houses more affordable to rent a bedroom than the cost of a dorm room, plus, at least while I was there, the UC only guaranteed housing for freshmen and sophomores, meaning 3rd and 4th years basically had to live off campus). The UC did plan on adding a bus route between the UC and Downtown, which I'm pretty sure was implemented though it would have been after I graduated.

I dunno, man, the Buellton Pea Soup Andersens was always the "real" one to me, so I'm already deep in the mourning period. I don't think I'm gonna miss the I5 one. 152 is going to be interesting though, that's a curvy hilly route, going to be dramatic going through it. At Gilroy, the train will stop to open the doors and let the Hot Cows Eating Garlic smell into the train where it will finally be let out at the SF transit center.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Supposedly they're going to rebuild the Buellton one. I was also sad to hear of its passing, but due to personal reasons I'd actually be glad to have it razed and started anew. I've eaten both there and at the Santa Nella one and was fascinated to find that the pea soup is different between the two. Buellton was markedly better, imo. Hopefully, if Buellton makes a return they don't end up with the Santa Nella pea soup!

@confuseatronica

13 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew Oh great, I hadn't heard they were rebuilding!

Really enjoyed the series. Thank you for doing it.

This is a great series of videos, thanks for putting in all the work to create them!

The topography between Merced and Gilroy isn't as daunting as between Bakersfield and Burbank, but it's still going to be formidable. 15 miles of tunnel total, and one will be the longest rail tunnel in North America at 13 miles. As others have pointed out, much of the work between Gilroy and SF is already complete. It's tough that there are so many grade crossings, but it's nice that it will serve as upgraded regional rail.

SJ-Gilroy will have three pairs of tracks: two electrified tracks for Caltrain/HSR and one un-electrified tracks for UP. Also, both San Jose and Gilroy have station plans and/or preferences that should make the final station designs very different from what's in EIR. Gilroy done a study in 2011 with preferences of a downtown split-grade station that would also grade separate UP tracks through the downtown area. San Jose's station planning - named Diridon Integrated Station Concept Plan (DISC) is in progress, with the initial concept plan calls for a station with elevated platforms and grould-level concourse.

Belated welcome to the Bay Area! Nice work covering my neighborhoods!

The Federal government has already given $3.4B for the DTX tunnel in SF. I imagine Caltrain will be using it long before HSR.

@onetwothreeabc

13 күн бұрын

It's till $4 bn short. The project cost $8 bn+

@JackKack-kk5dd

13 күн бұрын

​@onetwothreeabc it's highly unlikely they won't get the rest of the funding

@lucaspadilla4815

11 күн бұрын

@@JackKack-kk5dd Yeah, CA has already agreed to match the 3.4B, so they only have a little less than $2B left to raise

@californiamade5608

10 күн бұрын

@@JackKack-kk5dd it’s very likely they’ll get the funding. This is a huge project .

This is pure dedication. WINNING!

I feel the electrification of CalTrain from SJ to Gilroy should happen ASAP.

@KcarlMarXs

13 күн бұрын

Service demand for Caltrain barely justifies it ATM vs keeping a few old trains.

@onetwothreeabc

13 күн бұрын

@@KcarlMarXs Does service demand justify the electrification of SF-SJ? I thought Cal HSR/CalTrain services are never justified by service demand.

@californiamade5608

12 күн бұрын

September this year

@dwc1964

12 күн бұрын

I misread at first - yeah, why they didn't do the whole thing all at once is baffling to me, it's not going to get any cheaper. Then again, I had the same thought about the Muni tunnel across Market that stops at Chinatown, why didn't they keep the TBMs running through to North Beach...

@onetwothreeabc

12 күн бұрын

@@dwc1964 The official answer why CalTrain don't electrify the SJ-Gilroy section is that they don' own the section - UP does. Though that does not explain why they can't acquire the section from UP or why they can't negotiate with UP and electrify it anyways.

Oh, by the way, I have found that blackout-type (no light passes through) sleep masks for the eyes are very useful.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Oh, the lights weren't anywhere near as much a problem as the guy blasting music in the parking lot until 1AM or the half dozen homeless people lurking.

@ArtamStudio

13 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew I see you music blasting, and raise you a dozen young drunk white dudes yelling patriotic songs at the top of their lungs the entire night before Edwards AFB's air show. That was also a Motel 6. Hm.

@LucidStew

12 күн бұрын

@@ArtamStudio Where was that, Mojave? Mojave seems like the kind of place that would have a sketchy Motel 6. 😂

@ArtamStudio

12 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew Rosemond, if I recall correctly

Nice video - and on my end of the system 👍 - I dream of taking high-speed rail from San Jose to Merced; then, the YARTS bus up to Yosemite NP.

Thanks for your efforts and information!

I love your videos! Back in the 70s when I was a kid, we would drive from Fresno to San Jose 5 or 6x a year to see my family and we always had to make a stop at Los Baños (excellent pronunciation on your part) to wash the sea of bugs off the windshield. In the last 10 years, I've noticed that I can drive from the Bay Area to Fresno to visit my Mom with hardly a bug on the windshield. Where are the bugs?! It's very weird and concerning. Without bugs, the agriculture industry will collapse. I noticed your windshield remained clean. Did you wash it or did you also not have many bugs? The Gilroy station will also serve people from the Monterey Bay area, which is a sizeable population of 700,000 people. There are plans to extend Caltrain to Salinas as well as light rail connections to Santa Cruz and Monterey. I'm totally with you in disliking those double deck freeways.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

That reminds me that I forgot to mention that it translates to 'the bathrooms', which is a hilarious name for a town! One of the only phrases I remember from middle school Spanish class is "puedo el bano, por favor?", that's why my Los Banos is halfway decent. :D I provisioned to wash my windshield often during the entire trip. However, I was thinking that Henry Miller stretch would be a lot of starting and stopping(I've been to Los Banos Wildlife Area before). I did see a fair amount of egrets and other shallow water birds hunting in the mud, but it was pretty quiet out there, however it was the middle of the day. Not many bugs on the windshield there. Plenty on other parts of the car, though. Overall, though, WAY fewer bugs on the trip than expected.

@bryanCJC2105

13 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew Yeah, lots of people have said the massive amount of bugs has seriously declined over the decades. I would assume that the decline in bugs may also affect bird populations since bugs are a major source of food. Actually, you also did pretty good on another town or street pronunciation I just can't remember which one. Los Baños is a good name since the town is the last bathroom until you get to Casa de Fruta (which I stop at every single time since the 70s for some nuts and a yummy lunch). Originally the name was bestowed by Spanish missionaries from Mission San Juan Bautista to torture, I mean convert, the Indians and referred to some springs in the hills above town which fed the creek just south of the town flowing into the wetlands. The Los Banos Creek reservoir and campgrounds is there now just west of the 5 freeway.

California dreaming .. good video

los banos resident here, nice to see you enjoyed henry miller road, We all get jostled up on that. Interesting note, Henry Miller was one of the largest land owners in California at the time of his death and was critical to getting in the former SP Westside alignment from Tracy down. (which a portion from los banos to dos palos was torn up after SP went under). The alignment went through his land that he gifted to SP, and after getting the railroad he moved the majority of the homes a businesses at old Los Banos (now known as Volta) to the original grid. It is symbolic in a way that the HSR will fly just south of it. I understand why a shed is needed but I hope we can at least see the train as it barrells on through. That would be cool.

@travisfinucane

13 күн бұрын

Henry Miller had a big presence in Gilroy as well. 8th street (basically the exit from the train station) turns into Miller St, where it passes a big red barn that used to be part of one of Miller's ranch facilities. And if you keep going on 152 over the Santa Cruz mountains, you pass Mt Madonna park, which used to be the grounds of a Miller family vacation home--now just ruins for picnicking in.

The renders are great.

I remember when they were doing scoping for the now Transit Center, and wondered why they would place it there when it was a WALK to the Market St. thoroughfare. If city leaders are true to their intentions of introducing more housing into the Financial District/SoMa so it feels more like a 24/7 neighborhood, it could provide the needed boost till the trains arrive.

Love these drive-along series. For both CAHSR and BRW. It amazing hearing all these details. I know it's a bit out of your way but do you have any plans for doing this for Texas Central in the future as well?

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Not currently, but its not out of the question. They'd need to get the project to a less murky place to give the resulting videos some foundation. Maybe in a few years, if the Corridor ID program is working out and it looks like construction is going to proceed. If I were going that far, I'd probably do the whole Texas Triangle. Could cover DFW HST as well, and that would also give me a chance to cover Tucson to Los Angeles. I think there is definitely a case to be made for the investment.

That CCR reference, did the same thing with a friend when he was working out there.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

I went about 50 miles out of my way just to text that to my dad. :D

Wish they had a Santa Nella station. Not just for access to Pea Soup Andersens by rail but for people to drive I-5 to a parking lot for trips on the train

Given all the seismic activity around San Fran, it should probably be taken into account that the city will likely have moved considerably by the time CAHSR gets there and with any luck, it might be a bit closer to San Jose.

@JordanPeace

13 күн бұрын

Give it a cool 15 million years and Los Angeles will have moved far enough north from tectonic plate movement that it’ll be right next to SF anyways, completely removing any justification for this entire high speed rail project and creating a single megacity region in the state of California. Hopefully they incorporated that into their cost-benefit analysis since it seems like this project is moving on a geological timescale and it’s a toss up which of these connections between SF and LA will happen first

@SirKenchalot

13 күн бұрын

​@@JordanPeace Dang, you took my hilarious comment and made it funnier. I should be praising you but I'm just angry. If anyone wants me, I'll be screaming into a pillow for the next 3 days. Hold all my calls.

@biglos9d

13 күн бұрын

@@JordanPeace They can call the megacity San Angeles and it will be a crime-free utopia

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

First thread where I have up-thumbed and hearted every comment.

I don't want to come across as a snooty European but I'm actually amazed at the amount of level crossings that a **high-speed** line is going to have - it just seems crazy. Anyway, I hope the full line gets built eventually - we're in a similar limbo here in Britain with HS2.

i like your video. You should try riding Whoosh in indonesia, the first high speed train in southeast asia with a speed of 350/KMH. There are still many more trains in indonesia that you can make your youtube video. greetings from indonesia, Keep spirit and keep healty😊

Perhaps the In-N-Out Burger will relocate nearby.

@CARailTravels-xi5io

13 күн бұрын

Maybe an in-n-out with an insane line at the Merced HSR station

Great renders. Too bad CAHSR couldn't allow a steeper grade so we could skip the costly tunnel. At grade crossings suck, too bad they couldn't do a steeper grade and use that cost savings to grade separate from Gilroy to San Jose.

Props to you for doing all that driving, that looks stressful as a rural midwesterner. Hope someday you can take a high speed train instead. Ps. Unrelated, when you do the next Cascadia HSR video, would you consider comparing it to Solutionary Rail’s proposal to modify the current ROW for higher/regional speed? I’m curious what you think of their ideas.

@LucidStew

12 күн бұрын

I will be looking at blended solutions eventually for all of the FRA HSR Corridor videos that had unsatisfactory outcomes. Sort of a "ok, that didn't work, can something else?" series.

@patrickwebb7311

12 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew sounds interesting, I look forward to it.

Should do this again in 5-7 years see how much has changed. PS: Hello from Sacramento! Hopefully we get our HSR someday

@LucidStew

12 күн бұрын

Will be sooner than that. Fingers crossed, in 5-7 years I'll be making a video about riding it.

@williaminsd

8 күн бұрын

Never going to happen. Just another lie. Same with San Diego.

I don't understand how grade separation is presented as so expensive. Don't build bridges for the high-speed train, make the low-speed road adjust. We have overpasses for roads all over the place. A few road connections could probably just be dropped.

Redwood City, when I was working there, had a policy of waiting until n number of people got snuffed bye moving trains before they put up gates+protection areas. So I'm guessing in this region the "Silicon Valley it's good enough" ethic will apply and imply upgrades on an as-needed (snuffed tweakers) basis.

It's not that SF is "empty" per se...there are just a lot less people than before the pandemic. And I'm ok with it! Sometimes lines for food at street festivals would be ridiculous.

NO FREAKING WAY, I GREW UP IN VALLEJO. And I have to say, the Motel 6 you were talking about was probably better then the cities other Motel 6….which was shut down a few years ago for trafficking illegal goods…and people 😅😅

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Wow, that's choice. The one I stayed at, there was an alley next to a trailer park down the street. Someone had dumped a boat onto the street and it was laying there in the alley on its side. There was someone living in it. Really sad what has happened to California the last 20 years(or even 10). Granted, its a Motel 6, but this is the first time going ANYWHERE I've had experiences this bad while staying there.

Two takeaways from this video. 1. The huge number of at-grade crossings from Gilroy all the way to San Francisco will be a huge Achilles's Heel for the high-speed rail system. 2. Your Go-Pro battery management sucks. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

@LucidStew

12 күн бұрын

I'm still getting used to it! XD

@nickg6285

11 күн бұрын

The number of at grade crossings is the CAHSR’s weakest point as far as I’m concerned. Grade separation can be accomplished by putting the high speed rail on elevated tracks. I know it’s costly but it’s especially necessary in the LA and Bay Area urban areas.

I live in the East Bay and recently started dating someone on the Peninsula. I hope the relationship flourishes in the coming months so that I have an excuse to go take the new Caltrain Stadlers. And also because I really like her, but y'know, trains.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

XD

Dear CAHSR please make a Pea Soup stop.

@LucidStew

11 күн бұрын

Preferably in Buellton with a rebuilt restaurant incorporated into the station :)

Great vid and information. Pity about all those elevel crossings, even in the case of CalTrain. They really have to go.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Most of them probably will eventually, but it could be a long time.

@ArtamStudio

13 күн бұрын

I live next to a Caltrain/freight at-grade crossing. Most engineers don't do the DOT-specified horn signals; either they lean on the horn the entire way or just let out one superloud burst. They built an underpass half a mile south, and elevated berms start half a mile north. These were done maybe 25-30 years ago. The chances of the remaining at-grade crossings being converted to either of these options is slim to none in my lifetime. 🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🚄

The funny thing about all this is that, if you follow global warming enthusiasts, the place you really want lots of people is gonna be north of the Golden Gate Bridge, not south in the hot zone of San Jose per se. No train plans there. I guess the comfortable regions will primarily be kept train-free+car-oriented for the wealthy.

@LucidStew

12 күн бұрын

So you think an inland island for the rich is going to spring up in Crescent City?

FYI "the 101 freeway" is not correct terminology. In the bay area we just say "101" without "the"

Taiwan's HS rail is mostly elevated. It's just stupid so much of California's was chosen to be on the ground. In urban areas, elevated is the only way to go, but it's clear they wanted to share the bu$$ine$ love by complicating the process and ballooning the budget. Without a doubt, the line should be elevated along the south side of I-580 through Castro Valley with just 2 short tunnels. San Leandro could be the initial terminus as Downtowns mean much less after the pandemic. It's also a much better connection to Sacramento.

@lalakerspro

12 күн бұрын

costs too much. Plus the dense areas (between sj and sf) isnt the high speed anyway, from san jose to la is full high speed, grade seperated

@MarioFanGamer659

11 күн бұрын

Taiwan's may be elevated but keep in mind that local residents fought tooth and nail against grade separation (Atherton's was so big, its station was closed by protest*) and I don't think a fully elevated line would pass there at all with their attitude. *Strictly speaking, it was about electrification but you can see just how big the opposition there is even for such a "minor" project.

@johnhblaubachea5156

10 күн бұрын

I agree. Altamont Pass would be a faster way to get to Sacramento than via Pacheco Pass. Unfortunately, a big developer with lots of political donations, and who also owned land around Los Banos persaufed the HSRA to choose Pacheco Pass, and that is how and why it got into the 2008 bond issue. So, we're stuck. At least the Capitol Corridor exists.

@mharry49

Күн бұрын

@@lalakerspro SJ to LA is neither full high speed nor grade separated.

@lalakerspro

Күн бұрын

@@mharry49 SJ to LA is 220 mph and fully grade seperated

I don’t live in California and I don’t understand the enormous negativity that exists regarding the CAHSR between LA and San Francisco. Yes it is taking a long time to build and it is expensive but once completed it should entice other parts of the US to build high speed rail.

at some point they should add a san jose airport station.

@shsd4130

12 күн бұрын

Is an airport-to-Diridon people mover a possibility? (I don't know much about San Jose)

@alexisdespland4939

11 күн бұрын

@@shsd4130 i doubt it nothing much important in betwen and quite far more likely would ne reouteing the either or both light rail line or bart or cal tran line.

@alexisdespland4939

11 күн бұрын

@@shsd4130 this cpuld be a future video subject i think.

@seanschannel3264

11 күн бұрын

The Santa Clara station will have both BART and Caltrain there, and is directly across the runaways from SJC, also

@alexisdespland4939

11 күн бұрын

@@seanschannel3264 yes but the terminal is on the otherside of the airport . a light rail branch via bothn to the nearbuy stadiums would be quite useful

3:20 “through a shed” I was disappointed to learn this; it’s one of the few straight parallels with a highway, where cars could “race” the train at full speed.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Interesting side note. The road through there sucks, which I knew already from having been to the Los Banos Wildlife Area previously. But I was trying to make up time, so I was going 70mph most of the way on Henry Miller. I got so jostled doing that, a trim piece came loose and a couple of pebbles got jammed between it and the body. The frickin' car was whistling all the way to Gilroy every time I got over 55 mph!

@mharry49

Күн бұрын

The ducks in the wildlife areas east of LB won't be disappointed...without it, "Quack quack WHACK".

@spencerjoplin2885

Күн бұрын

D.L.C. for train sims: Duck Liquification Content.

"I-87" lolz.

That road in San Mateo is permanently closed to vehicle traffic. It's pedestrian only.

I disagree that the Santa Clara Valley has “run out of real estate”. That’s only true if you assume that the current low-density single-family use should stay that way forever.

@LucidStew

8 күн бұрын

Good luck plowing under the billion single-family homes in the area that are $10,000/sq ft. And I said runNING, bit of a difference. I invite you to look at a map. The valley is nearly fully developed. Whether you care to develop the rest or build density, its STILL nearly fully developed.

Curse you Merced In N Out😂

Grade separation, or lack thereof is going to make or break CAHSR.

I thought high speed rail had to be grade separated ? look at the problems brightline is having and hey arent true highspeed

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

To be fair, CAHSR will not technically be "high speed" between Anaheim and Burbank, nor Gilroy and San Francisco.

@spencerjoplin2885

13 күн бұрын

The grade crossings are limited to 110 MPH “high-ish speed”.

@iworkout6912

13 күн бұрын

Having driven along side Bright line in Florida, crossings are dangerous for trains and traffic. They have had many crashes and people killed. Drivers seem to not understand that a train can kill you. Many of the crossings on Bright line in Florida are right beside a busy street (US 1) and many who drive it are trying to beat the train.

@davidjackson7281

12 күн бұрын

@@spencerjoplin2885 The top speed won't exceed 75 mph through the grade crossings. SF to Gllroy shall be over an hour.

@MarioFanGamer659

11 күн бұрын

HST =/= trains running exclusively on HSR. Basically, the main portion is grade separated and build for high speed but the built up Bay Area and LA metro regions are too much of a hassle to build new tracks (not to mention the opposition of electrification and grade separation projects among the residents of certain cities).

We can have funding for grade separations in Bay Area if we don't do grade separations in the central valley section. Why spending the $$$ to grade separate the roads with little traffic in the middle of farmlands while limiting the speed to 110 mph and using the quad-gates in the busy Bay Area sections? The CAHSR is wasting the limited funding they have in areas with the least amount of usage. Don't understand their thought process.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Most Central Valley grade separations are already in progress or completed. The reason its happening this way is because they must meet time requirements built into the law, but must choose the cheapest possible alternate to have any chance of retaining majority public support. Even with the cheap version, the project is still at least $15 billion more expensive than what the CAHSR Authority is telling the public. Can you imagine if they chose an option that was closer to the 2008 vision and let everyone know that the price had jumped from $33 billion to not $106 billion, but $150 billion? While the state is running $30 billion deficits?

@lalakerspro

12 күн бұрын

the central valley section is 200mph+ , there is no way that can be at grade

13-mile tunnel in the middle of nowhere? Is it that steep? How come Brightline West does not need a tunnel for Cajon Pass, but CAHSR does?

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

Different standards. CAHSR's design standards limit it to 3.5% grade or less, depending on the length of the grade.

@ReedmanFL

12 күн бұрын

It's not just "steep". HSR in general has to have REAL gentle curves, both horizontal and vertical, to go at any modest speed. This is why the existing rail line between Bakersfield and Burbank (Tehachapi) is useless for HSR (and is useless for even present day Amtrak trains) and a very large amount of tunnelling will need to be done to make the connection.

@johnhblaubachea5156

10 күн бұрын

That has to do with the piecemeal approach to how it was built in the 1870's and later completed in e 1880's.

Motel 6?! Valejo?! Lotsa better places than that.

@LucidStew

5 сағат бұрын

NOW you tell me...

1st :)

@noahsadventures2139

13 күн бұрын

Noooo

This project should be called "sort of high speed rail"

@anthonysnyder1152

13 күн бұрын

Most high speed rail projects have many sections that can’t run max speed. Problem is that the US stopped funding grade separation projects for decades while other countries never stopped upgrading their rail. But one day there might be stretches of rail that can hit above 110mph.

@AmericaOnRail

13 күн бұрын

Well the Central Valley segment qualifies as High Speed Rail by international standards

@markdavid7013

13 күн бұрын

@@anthonysnyder1152 Yeah and they are trying to go through some very developed and rugged terrain.

@ficus3929

13 күн бұрын

This is by far the highest speed rail in project in the US. It’s definitely high speed rail.

@markdavid7013

11 күн бұрын

@@ficus3929 Not end to end. (according to the video) assuming it's ever completed end to end.

Which comes first - Flying Cars or HSR to the West Coast.

@iworkout6912

13 күн бұрын

Or that hyper loop that was talked about a few years ago. A large pneumatic tube like you see at banks. Who knows what it will be like in a couple of generations.

@skinthekat0530

13 күн бұрын

@@iworkout6912 looks that idea (which sounded cool) wouldn't scale. The only commercial project to break ground (Las Vegas) shut down.

@MarioFanGamer659

11 күн бұрын

@@skinthekat0530 Do you mean the Tesla car subway or what?

Even the Pennsylvania Railroad took a government loan to complete its electrification. This thing sounds too expensive and pie in the sky. I would prefer to see ‘higher speed rail’.

I really dont get why you think the hanford station is a bad idea. Its in a field because the city of hanford didn't want it, and there are lots of cities around that are going to be using it. All of tulare county and kings county will be using it.

@LucidStew

7 күн бұрын

It is a very expensive structure and almost no one will use it.

@hexyeetus

7 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew tulare county, kings county, parts of kern? Tulare and kings county alone is 633,538 people, that’s not no one. They can’t build it on a berm because it’s squished in between a utility corridor and private property.

@LucidStew

7 күн бұрын

@@hexyeetus They project 1000 daily riders once Phase 1 is completed, which is very low use for a high speed rail station. This will be the second least used station in the system, behind Madera, which has almost non-existent projected usage. "no one" is hyperbole. You don't need to try to prove that it won't be zero. These usage levels can't possibly justify the hundreds of millions being spent on this viaduct and station.

@hexyeetus

7 күн бұрын

@@LucidStew while i completely agree that it’s a lot of money, what’s the other option? they can’t build in kings county, so what else could they have done differently because i think visalia would be too far over . Also the cities around here are growing massively, so why not plan for the future and have a really good station that will help us grow even more

@SFDom415-pe8qo

Күн бұрын

Visalia and Hanford are growth areas. The people who live there 20 years from now will use it and we are building this for future generations

Using "San Francisco Examiner" shows your true colors buddy.

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

I don't even know what that means. I'm not from San Francisco. I'm not familiar with the politics of local papers.

16:00 - and the same earthquake knocked down the same type of freeway just north of there - the Embarcadero Freeway - which fortunately didn't have as much traffic on it at the time. It's a shame it took an earthquake to bring down what should never have been built in the first place; the waterfront is _so_ much better without it! Too bad they haven't learned that lesson and removed the 280 double-decker as well.

@puffpuffin1

12 күн бұрын

That's the Cypress Freeway you are thinking that collapsed in Oakland. Glad I-280 survived and was retrofitted as it's a vital freeway for the City. It's just too bad narrow minded, hate-filled, bigoted people continue to believe that freeway removal will solve all the transportation problems in the cities.

Bwahahahah

2nd

It states this should all be done between the years of 2030-2033 😂😂😂 so more like 2050-2080 😂😂😂😂 ill probably be 90 yo when this is all set and done

@LucidStew

8 күн бұрын

2030-2033 is for Merced-Bakersfield

Unfortunately most of us will never be able to ride this in our lifetime. As is, much of this first phase will need to be redone before ballast and rails can be laid down.

In N Out is truly the worst burger place ever. I really don't get the fanfare and loyalty to it. Bleck. Pea Soup Andersen's, on the other hand, I totally get. However, you should visit it sooner rather than later, as I don't think it will live long enough to see the high speed rail. I was there recently, and it felt like it was dying a slow death of neglect. Mostly empty. The sister restaurant in Buellton closed permanently already, and the staff in Santa Nella are expecting that the end is coming soon. Love your channel though. Thanks for doing these segments.

@shsd4130

12 күн бұрын

Dinner for me & my SO costs $10 at In-N-Out burger. (We each get a grilled cheese, and split fries) Can't think of any other burger joint that cheap

@samesource

12 күн бұрын

@@shsd4130 I think there are others that cheap (often with mediocre results). I read a article that surveyed fast food places based on what you could get by spending the least, and many of the usual suspects were ranked as cheaper than In-N-Out if you stick to their "value" menus. I get that everyone has their own tastes, but I personally think In-N-Out is just the worst and don't understand the cultural phenomenon of fans of In-N-Out. I can at least understand why people are crazy about some other places. I guess the In-N-Out thing will just remain illogical to me. Thanks for the reply.

@p.ipebomb

11 күн бұрын

Only in a HSR video would you see people use a pretentious term like 'bleck' 😂 y'all always sound like that

@charlesmiller5542

11 күн бұрын

@@p.ipebombOnly in a personal attack would someone use the falsely provincial contraction, y’all. Leave the guy alone.

The shed or enclosure is absurd and useless. Wildlife preservation laws in Europe are often insanely stringent and yet they haven't used "sheds", simply because birds just flee from the immediate proximity of the line when a train is approaching at 200mph and the line starts vibrating. Aviary collisions are not a common occurrence on HSL's, especially with birds of prey, etc. The rare occurrences usually happen near tunnel exits, or in trenches where there could be some nesting. It's quite different from an airport and planes... Rails and contact wires start emitting a vibration noise while the train is still far away. This does not depend on winds, contrary to planes, that can sometimes "surprise" birds. The vibration is transmitted through the rails and contact wires, whatever the speed or direction of the wind. Plus, HS trains push air to the side, they don't aspirate it like aircraft engines. The front car on an HSR train is a high-pressure zone. I really don't understand where they've found this strange idea that an enclosure would be useful... Probably something out the backside of an overpaid consultant that decided to reinvent the wheel instead of taking note of what's done in Japan and Europe... Great video as always Stew!

@KyrilPG

13 күн бұрын

P.S. They've invented a problem that does not really exist and proposed a solution to it that will surely add up even more to the already outrageously excessive cost. It's a bit like proposing seat belts for home sofas... pool humidifiers... or night sunglasses... Sure, there are some quick bucks to be made, but should a major public infrastructure project fall for that? If they're really scared of possible aviary collisions or disturbances to nesting, they just need to raise the viaduct sidewalls a bit, and voilà! The full enclosure may end up doing the exact opposite of what they want to achieve. Without enclosure, birds in the vicinity could easily associate the moving trains with the noise, vibrations, and pressure wave. And thus, they'd know that when there's no trains, there's no noise and vibrations, and vice-versa. With the enclosure, they would not be able to clearly identify the source and reason for the noise and vibrations that are coming from the shed. They could then consider the shed as a variable, unpredictable, uncertain environment. This "uncertainty" is the kind of thing that scares birds away and disturbs them the most. Just like crows are perfectly fine hanging around on catenary poles because they understand and associate trains with noise ; but they don't like subway ventilation shafts because they can't identify what's causing the frequent roar and vibrations. The bird version of the closet monster... I'd really like to know who thought it would be a good idea to make a fully enclosed shed on the viaduct...

@LucidStew

13 күн бұрын

I imagine, like many other things involved with the project, that its pure politics. The outcome matters less than the appearance of caring. I'm also curious how far they plan to extend that because the area is quite extensive, and you can see from the California Aqueduct, there are tons of Swallows hanging around there. Why not just put the entire thing in a shed? I'll have to look at the environmental impact statement and see if I can dig anything up.

@KyrilPG

12 күн бұрын

Plus, now they'll have to account for the pressure wave "bang" at both ends, as it could very well be the worst bird-scaring unintended consequence possible... I hardly see what could be worse for birds than something stationary that emits loud bangs every now and then without visual clues announcing them... Also, I can already imagine the massive pressure variation when 2 trains will cross each other at full speed in the same enclosed space. In Europe and Japan, they use piston relief ducts to deal with pressure waves, especially when the 2 tracks are in the same "tube". Having a full enclosure may very well end up being actually substantially noisier than without the shed, due to the sudden air displacement blast hitting the walls of the shed... Or they'd need to build it in concrete, but then it's a tunnel on a viaduct rather than a shed. Keep me posted if you find where that comes from. Cheers

I am here to laugh at how big a failure high speed rail has been.

What a joke. Show me some actual progress....not just cartoons showing what will be done a century from now. ;-(

@LucidStew

11 күн бұрын

ok, watch the one for the central valley.

@mharry49

Күн бұрын

Not much to show...the guideway is not near complete even through Fresno, where ground-breaking was 9 years ago. A lot of Stonehenge wannabes though...

In and out is so overrated