Just got back from Italy. High speed rail was amazing there and that country's size is very comparable to CA. As a traveler I was able to bounce all over the country. So happy we have something being built here now.
I’m so happy to see positive comments here. The high speed train would really have many passengers since California itself has the highest pop. in all the country.
Unfortunately won’t connect any major cities until likely the mid 2030s. Until then I imagine Bakersfield can quickly become a population and office building hub with the lower property costs.
@@jhank0cean It could still have a massive impact on the central valley citizens, relative to the big cities they are small but when looked at by themselves it's a shit load of people
@@thelonewanderer420 Yea I currently live there. There is certainly a “fuck ton” of people in this state. Central Valley needs something going for it, everything else is kinda falling apart very slowly. This will help. I’m excited for the 2030s lol
As a Texan, I'm excited & hopeful to see this come to completion. We really need it here too, so hopefully in the end it turns out great. I'd kill for HSR between the major regions of this state considering how spread out everything is (not to mention how most of the state is relatively flat & lacks large mountain ranges). Rooting for ya!
HSR would be perfect for Texas and MUCH cheaper because the land is relatively flat. I'm sure Texas would finish their HSR before California would if Texas started today!
Texas would be a perfect candidate for HSR. In theory it should be a lot cheaper to build. Relatively flat geography and no need to earthquake-proof grade separations.
@@wanglelife Not to mention, no (or very few) tunnels. Texas Central Railway is planning on going with the Shinkansen N700S trainset. They claimed a 50:50 chance of starting construction this year (2022), but I'm no where as confident as that. Anyway, construction should be 1/2 or 1/3 of what CAHSR timelines are.
Unfortunately the hardest part is acquiring the land. Which is going to be a lot harder in Texas. Where republicans will try to fight for it. Rather than selling and making the state better. Some people are complaining on having it go through one acre of their 4000 acre property’s. Those home owners and property owners of large land segments will not be happy
With the gas prices constantly going up, it's about damn time projects like this get fast tracked. We're way behind Asian / European countries when it comes to highspeed public transportation.
@@SpockvsMcCoy ...and still significantly more traffic. And Electric vehicles will not be able to travel 180mph. Apples have nothing to do with oranges.
Lol, you’re not going to lose enough people from California to cause a significant reduction in car traffic. California is the largest state by population by a mile.
It's the earthquake proof grade seperations that has turned this project into a monstrosity both in time and money. But it looks like they are doing it right the first time.
There's a lot of factors that go into it. Making all the viaducts and grade separations earthquake resistant is one. But a lot of the cost has gone into Eminent Domain negotiations. Real Estate prices in California complicate that immensely. Also, the cost of tunneling through the Diablo Mountains in the Bay Area, the Tehachapi in Bakersfield, and the San Gabriel Mountains into the LA area was greatly underestimated.
I’m very excited for this project to progress. I am a big supporter and a fan of trains. Thank you very much for this amazing job and contribution for our California residents.
Nice to see progress. Also can’t believe of how similar this is to the original Shinkansen in the 60s. I think this will turn like the Shinkansen, being a very popular line that will shoot California and the US back onto the High Speed Rail Podium.
I am really excited about this project, as well as the brightline HSR in Florida that will connect Miami to orlando/tampa. we should've done this decades ago. build build build!
Exactly. This is why I tell people its taking so long. Its hard to grasp the enormity of the project. California is undertaking a project with the scope and scale of building the Interstate system. A project that required the power and pockets of the Federal Government.
@@nathanvalle6997 Ha, that man seemed to delete that dumb comment " it was CGI" when you can literally go and see for yourself. I'm honestly surprised the project hasn't stopped completely, a lot of people thought it did. I'm hoping for the best with this project, as with a project of this scale a lot can go wrong very quickly as we have learned
@@californiamade5608 they're only building Bakersfield to Madera. If they can find the money they'll connect San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2033 (predicted). But given current delays 2040+ is more likely.
I would prefer continuing the rail first to Sacramento since this area is on a flat land and won't involve too much preparations or diggings. The 2 problematic ones can be done later when the fund is on hand.
@@jamesclint2338 I agree! The assholes who have been suing this project to increase costs and create cascading delays should be punished and not allowed to file any more frivolous lawsuits!
@@TohaBgood2 🤣🤣🤣 Frivolous. 🤣🤣🤣 So the state is allowed to hand wave environmental studies. Or, allowed to take property without fair compensation. Or have no access to their property. Keep blaming the lawsuits and not the contractors or consultants sucking on the states teat. Companies with long histories of low bidding just to make their money off change orders. NOPE Blame lawsuits that regular businesses have to deal with as well.
Great progress everyone! We are finally getting some significant progress done with CP1 and 2-3! Now that a large number of the utility relocations are being started, some of the older projects that had not begun yet are getting going. I am excited to see most or all of the construction be completed by Feb or June 2023! Lets get this done!
the current goal is interim Bakersfield-Merced service by the end of this decade. It looks like San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) will be the interim operator, and be responsible for train testing and service and will be leasing the track and equipment from CHSRA, and therefore an operating subsidy won't be necessary for CHSRA since they aren't the one operating the service. While that happens, construction will continue towards SF and LA. I believe that once SF is connected to then CHSRA will take over operations from SJJPA for SF-Bakersfield service and eventually full Phase 1 service to LA/Anaheim. SJJPA also operates the Amtrak San Joaquins, which'll terminate at Merced from Sacramento and Oakland once HSR service begins, and that'll most likely continue after CHSRA takes over operations.
@@DouglasLippi Prop 1A was never meant to fund the entire Phase 1 system. That was just to get the ball rolling, with cap-and-trade and other public (federal and state) and private funding making up the difference. That’s been perhaps the biggest issue with this project is it’s never had a steady stream of funding. With a more pro-rail administration and new federal money to compete for, it does give more hope on extending to SF and LA sooner. Getting a train running ASAP is crucial to proving the project’s merits, even on just a Central Valley route connecting to existing transit, and helping push construction and eventually service to SF and LA. That’s always been and will always be the goal. Newsom’s 2019 speech merely said focus would be on getting a Valley train up and running first, then turn attention toward SF and LA when more funding was available, which was basically already the plan.
@Dark Clouds I honestly think these are bots ngl. I live in Fresno and that one San Jaquan bridge has been in construction for like 5 years and they took down a plaza that was near it, thinking it would have the extended track done in a few months and that was the 1st year. Freaking built a new plaza across the Union Pacific track and that took only a year. They got that bridge done like last year and nothing else is happening to the other part of the project
@@tinytheyods it's not $100 billion. So far it's only been about $8.6 billion spent with $2.9 billion currently available, and $21-25 billion total authorized for spending, according to CAHSR's 2022 Draft Business Plan. $105 billion is the latest estimated HIGH end cost for the full Phase 1 SF-Anaheim route, with the base cost around $87 billion and the low cost about $73 billion, also according to CAHSR's 2022 Draft Business Plan. There's still $4.2 billion in Prop 1A funds, which were authorized by California voters in 2008 for high speed rail construction, that need to be released to CAHSR to finish the Central Valley IOS between Merced and Bakersfield, and the longer that money is delayed in the State Legislature the longer construction will take.
@@tinytheyods Where are you people getting these fake numbers from? A total of $9.95 billion was approved for this project and they’ve only spent half of that money. The state legislature us literally arguing about appropriating the remaining $4.2 billion right now! That $100 (actually $105, you didn’t even get that right!) billion that all the fake media are peddling is the high ESTIMATE for the whole system, not what is being built right now! The actual estimated cost range is $78-105 billion. And the actual cost depends on the design of the rest of the system and when it will be built. Given the timeline, most of that difference is inflation, not even actual cost. You people can’t even tell your face from your… bottom.
This is something that is needed for California. Despite all the cost overruns, I think it completely worth it as it unites SF and LA shipping and intercity travel at prices comparable to flying.
Couldn't agree more 🚀🚀🚀🚀 This RU-vid channel just needs some more cool ads / promos like SpaceX does. This project is so un-derated and should have a million views per video.
@@UCLAfilm01 Ah, I've been waiting to see your comments again boi. I'm surprised it hasn't stopped with all the issues, whether it completes or not I'm always excited to see construction updates.
@@UCLAfilm01 I guess worst case scenario it gets shuttered and the alignment goes to Amtrak or something and they can build either a standard or high speed for the segment using all the infrastructure that was built. US transportation infrastructure is just so pathetically behind, the gas/oil companies are fighting tooth and nail to make sure this doesn't finish.
I'm happy to see construction seems to be consistently moving forward, that looks like real progress. The editing is a little bit humorous with the heavy guitar music. Though I wish there were maybe some text/map overlays when the video talks about various acronyms and jargon like that, or locations. For example, a map overlay in the corner of the video with the relevant routes being discussed for those who aren't locals to those areas. It could highlight the general area and then zoom into the specific location. Also, things like the "emissions" Dunno what she meant by the acronym. Just my thoughts on it.
If only the rest of the nation spent 100+ billion dollars on one of the biggest infrastructure boondoggles in American history… and people wonder why California is so F-ed up.
@@tylerkriesel8590 Bull#$t! They started building in 2015 and the first section will be finished by next year. If you don't know what you're talking about, consider keeping your mouth shut! No one believes your FUD propaganda anymore. We can literally see construction happening all over the Valley with our own eyes!
@@TohaBgood2 apparently you don’t know what your talking about, the project started in 2008, that’s a fact. Use google, learn something rather then getting bent.
@@tylerkriesel8590 Yeah, that's a lie again. The project did not start in any way shape or form in 2008. In 2008 the ballot measure funding a portion of the project was approved. That's it. Construction started in 2015. Seriously, look it up! There are videos on youtube from the groundbreaking.
@@TohaBgood2 ok, ya the construction started in 2015. The point is, it’s now 105 Billion dollars and there is not 1 inche of track, to trains. And the construction that is happening, is only from 2 Central Valley cities. There is absolutely no construction near or in San Francisco or LA. They are building the easiest part, on flat land, and it’s already 105 billion dollars? How much is it when they gotta start going through the mountains? This is a money pit, and it needs to be investigated for some kind of money laundering or mismanagement. Throwing more money at it isn’t gonna get it built, but to line someones (or many people) pockets.
100+ BILLION DOLLARS? And not one inch of track? This has been going on for almost 2 decades and is one of, if not the worst infrastructure boondoggle in American history.
They’re working to get as much of the route shovel-ready as possible so when more money becomes available they can start work on extending to SF and LA. The probably biggest thing with getting a Central Valley service up and running ASAP is it’ll demonstrate US high speed rail, and once people here experience it it’ll help push expanding to the full Phase 1 route and later Phase 2.
@@DouglasLippi and likely tarnishes US high speed rail’s future in the process. That’s why California’s project is so critical and needs full support. SJJPA, the same agency that operates the Amtrak San Joaquins, will be the interim operator for the Merced to Bakersfield route while CHSRA pushes construction toward SF and LA. Their plan is to terminate San Joaquin service at Merced where it and ACE will connect Sacramento and the Bay Area with HSR that’ll travel to Bakersfield and connect with buses to LA. Stations at Wasco and Corcoran that were served by San Joaquin trains would be replaced with bus services that would connect to the nearest HSR station. My guess is ticket prices would be the same as for the San Joaquins. Because SJJPA will be the interim operator, not CHSRA, there’s no breaking the rule of no operating subsidy since they’re not the operator, and SJJPA will be making lease payments to them for use of the track and trains. Also, this will be the first true high speed rail line in the US, and I guarantee lots of people are going to want to experience it, not just the typical San Joaquin riders but also those who had never used that service before as well as people who want to experience high speed rail for the first time. A train that’s 90-100 minutes faster than the predecessor service is huge, and should create an increase in ridership, how much is a prediction but it should at least be the same if not more than current ridership (pre-pandemic).
@@ChrisJones-gx7fc interesting. I think they should really try to get private partners, as was the original plan. Relying on the annual whims of Congress isn't a winning strategy. Private partners would also force this whole thing to move faster. They would not tolerate this glacial speed of delivery.
@Dark Clouds The project is late and over budget because Republican politicians in the Central Valley have filed hundreds of unwinnable land acquisition nuisance lawsuits. Now that most of the land has been acquired, they can’t do much. It’s just a matter of finishing the first section. And this is exactly what is happening as you can see from these progress reports. Also, there are no mega projects that finish on time and on budget. Those only exist in totalitarian countries where the authorities hide the actual budgets. Just look at China!
@Dark Clouds Yes, I and anyone who can use Google knows exactly where all the money went. This is a public project so you can literally look up the entire budget, every single line item. You can do this right now! China is subsidizing some of these "Belt and Road" projects in order to gain influence in countries where they know they will need to later buy resources from. Those projects are all done for clout by the Chinese at great expense to them! They just eat the extra costs to achieve their geopolitical goals. It's purely a resource access play, nothing more.
There you go again. If China is willing to help out other countries in building their seaports, high speed rail, bridges,infrastructures, etc, why you’re so jealous by smearing China as usual. Why don’t your evil government help out in developing countries projects? Guarantee you most projects around the developing countries will give their projects to whichever country tendered with the lowest bid. How come usa can’t get those projects but went to China and many other countries as well. Just blame your own government inability to handle big projects. Get over it, usa needs to smarten up and stop blaming others who can do way better job. Just curious to know how long and how costly the high speed rail in usa will be.
@@buddha199115 You're lumping a bunch of stuff together here that is completely unrelated. China has massive issues with construction quality. Their domestic companies are simply unable to do construction at the same level as international firms. This is mostly because they don't have those kinds of competitive pressures when they operate in China, which is where the vast majority of their experience comes from. There, their mistakes are simply hidden by the regime because "it looks bad". As soon as they try to build anything outside of their little pond, they immediately show everyone their incredibly low levels of quality. Case in point, the sinking Millennium Tower in SF and the eastern span of the Bay Bridge. There are numerous other examples of this from all around the world, but these are "close to home" for US Californians. Concerning their building programs in poor countries, this has also been discussed widely. They are doing it for political gain, because they want something from the host country. It's not charity. They usually force the host country to take out debt from Chinese banks and milk the home country for decades after if they don't get the political outcomes they want. Basically, it's a scam. So, two things: 1. Low quality because of lack of experience building to high construction standards, 2. Profiteering off of poor countries with many and massive "strings attached".
Great to see things moving forward, but it is never fast enough. Some of that seems like overkill, but I presume it is needed because of our earthquake standards. I just hope there isn't a ton of overbuilding going on.
To my eyes it seems very reasonable. I mean the trains going at full speed create insane forces even on smooth curves, so insane that the iron tracks will form cracks in a couple of years, and the foundations should last a long time.
there was a lot of delays because it took time to purchase the land from farmers and other landowners. We aren't like china where the government just takes land from people willy nilly.
I believe she retired last month. I remember reading something about it on their Twitter page. Unfortunate since she was so good at narrating over the updates.
It’s a good start then every state while follow and connect in the future. Other countries have bullet trains already and it’s proven to be working for the economy
With all of the Russian trolls gone it's amazing how few detractors there are for California high speed rail. The people want an affordable solution to transportation.
We will probably have new regulations that will allow us to sleep in our self-driving electric cars before anyone steps foot on this thing. They just recently removed the requirement for having human controls in self driving vehicles.
@@mushieslushie yeah. Still, 2 hr 40 min to LA would be faster. Still too long for me. I'd probably still fly. That way I can easily get a car rental on the LA side. Unclear whether there would be car rentals at LA Central train station. Kinda doubt it.
@@DouglasLippi That's still way faster than flying. I fly SFO-LAX or SF-SoCal several times a year. The likelihood that you get from SF to LA in under 3 hours by plane is minus 78%, lol. Most of the time it takes at least 4 hours. Even if you take a chartered plane, you're never beating HSR on such a short hop. That's the whole reason to have it here in the first place.
@@san209nha9 …in China, with the Chinese labor pool, and Chinese powers of eminent domain and legal immunity. There’s some value in looking at the Chinese buildout of HSR, but this isn’t it.
@@san209nha9 No they can’t. The incredible corruption that allows them to “keep costs low” would never fly in a Western country. See the leaning Millennium Tower in SF if you want to see what happens when Chinese companies build stuff. They can sweep it under the rug in their country but this simply isn’t tolerated in the US.
Deutsche Bahn won the contract to be the operator. They're already doing some planning and engineering work locally in Sac. You can probably apply even now if you're from those parts.
@@TohaBgood2 even the first section is not going to be finished till 2033, but even that seems unlikely no one knows when the full system will be up and running and there are constantly delays. Not saying hsr in California is necessary bad but they are doing a terrible job at it, funny how you automatically assumed my opinion and what "side" I'm on. Cope
@@bruhbutwhytho Lol, one of the three construction packages is “substantially complete” and will be fully complete bu next year. 2033? Where did you even get that date? Did you make it up again? Source or you’re lying.
I think the track & systems contract is supposed to be bid for this or next year, so construction of those should begin in the mid-2020s, with train testing in maybe late 2026 or 2027 and Merced-Bakersfield service beginning by 2029. At least as far as the current schedule has it. While train testing and later service happens, construction work will continue to progress toward SF and LA as funding becomes available.
@@bluepasta9505 $4.2 billion in Prop 1A funds is being held up in the CA State Legislature, and the sooner it gets released to CHSRA to finish the Central Valley segment between Merced and Bakersfield, the sooner trains can start running. 2029 is based on if that funding gets released soon, so of course if that money continues to get held up then yeah the opening date would very likely get pushed back again. Prop 1A was voted for by California voters for a high speed rail line, of which the Central Valley segment is a crucial part, so it’s imperative that it be finished ASAP so trains can start rolling by the end of the decade and prove the concept of high speed rail in the US. California’s is the first true high speed rail line in the nation and currently only one in the construction phase.
Can conventional locomotives drag the high speed train all the way to los angeles on conventional tracks like Amtrak uses till the rest of the system is completed
In theory, yes. However, in practice, Amtrak can't even run it's own trains from Bakersfield to Los Angeles because freight railroads own the tracks over Tehachapi Pass and those tracks have been running at capacity for years so Amtrak can't get a slot to get its passenger trains to LA. That's why Amtrak passengers today have to take an Amtrak bus from Bakersfield to LA or take the long slow (but more scenic) way on a train along the Central Coast. One of the biggest goals of this project is to restore the passenger rail connection between Los Angeles and the Central Coast by creating a new route through the Tehachapis. Metrolink's Antelope Valley Line from Palmdale to LA has the capacity to complete the journey from there if a non-high speed patch is desired.
@@brandonk9706 freight railroads own most of the tracks Amtrak operates on, the exceptions being a few Amtrak owns like the NE Corridor and a few Midwest routes, as well as routes owned by public entities like California's Surf Line between Fullerton and San Diego (jointly owned by SCRRA and NCTD). Going by rail between Bakersfield and LA would take much longer than the bus connection (2 hours by bus vs probably 4-5, if not longer, by train), plus as you said the route is busy and is mostly single track, so there aren't many time slots for regular passenger trains with all the freight traffic. The Coast Starlight has rarely used Tehachapi when the Coast Line is being repaired, and the Southwest Chief, although at night and very early morning, does use Cajon Pass, a much busier freight route, daily between LA and Chicago. Passenger trains are meant to get priority over freight trains, but because many parts of the US rail network is single track, trains have to wait their turn to use stretches of it, and that can impact the passenger train severely if it misses its slot, having to then wait for the next available one, or if a freight train using that stretch is delayed and the passenger train must wait longer for the freight to get out of the way.
Hong Kong metro is the only metro make profits, via real estate investments. CalHSR can learn from that by creating new towns and profit from land value appreciation.
