By Marc Joffe, Redlands Daily Facts; February 23, 2019
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to pause the most expensive portions of the state’s high-speed rail project offers an opportunity to reexamine the future of intercity passenger rail in California. Although the bullet train was poorly conceived and executed, targeted investments in passenger rail could play a role in reducing congestion and pollution. To get these benefits, however, California should set aside grandiose new projects, concentrate on large urban areas, and build upon existing infrastructure.
Train service already connects Merced, Madera, Fresno, and Bakersfield — the cities to be served by Gov. Newsom’s scaled back bullet train plan. Amtrak’s San Joacquins offers seven daily trains running between these cities and Los Angeles. But rather than use the existing track in these areas, high-speed rail planners built a new right of way — destroying farms and businesses and forcing the relocation of a portion of Highway 99. This decision was dictated, in part, by the need for the straighter tracks required if high-speed trains are going to try to hit full 220-miles per hour speeds.