Posted by Observer, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Jan 24, 2012 at 6:11 pm

Corrupt to the core. Kill it.

Posted by Hardin, a resident of the Cuesta Park neighborhood, on Jan 24, 2012 at 9:37 pm

The smell in the room just got a lot worse. This goes past incompetence and suggests malfeasance.

Let's review then:

1. The Rail Authority has no experience or knowledge on large scale construction projects, let alone rail construction.

2. The Rail Authority has no competence in following basic tenets of the California Public Contract Code.

No construction experience, and no contract management experience....

So what do they bring to the table that qualifies them to be in charge of such a large publicly funded project?

This is a perfect example of how a great idea (mass transit) doesn't guarantee success, without great planning, execution, and the right people.

Posted by psa188, a resident of another community, on Jan 25, 2012 at 10:00 am

The reports of deceptive and dishonest behavior from CHSRA keep coming yet still Governor "More Taxes" Moonbeam refuses to kill this turkey. How can he say, with a straight face, that we need to raise taxes but not kill this costly boondoggle is beyond me. Even Kevin Drum at the far-left Mother Jones correctly sees this project for what it is:.

Web Link

Posted by Stop this HSR Now!, a resident of the Sylvan Park neighborhood, on Jan 26, 2012 at 12:14 pm

It seems to be seldom mentioned about how fragile the system could be to operate, if it is built, which I hope it won't be. Consider:

* Earthquakes

* Power outages

* Crashes

* Equipment failures

* Collisions with animals, large birds, etc.

* Pot-shots

* Strikes

* Floods

* Snow or ice or even wet leaves on rails

* High temperatures warping rails

* Landslides

* Wildfires

* A seriously ill passenger

* High winds, blowing sand

* Fare equipment problems

* Communication problems

* Problems with local transit systems (getting to/from HSR stops

Posted by kman, a resident of the Monta Loma neighborhood, on Jan 26, 2012 at 4:48 pm

If I wanted to get to LA at the fastest rate that I can, I would take an airplane, period. Flights cost around 100 dollars. If I wanted to take a train trip, I would take the train that already exists, it's called the Amtrak Coast Starlight. If I wanted to take a Bus, it would cost around 40 dollars.

The government needs to stay out of this type of business, we all can see what fine shape bart is in. The cost for each rider to ride this high speed rail would be out of this world for them to recoup the money spent. Not including the upkeep of the trains. Why do you think no company in there right mind would undertake such a project.

Who is backing this ridiculous project?

I for one would not want to be on a fast train if there was some dangerous situation as the previous commenter mentioned.

There is no justification for this.