Cancel the the HSR and put the funding into improving regional rail in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. (Sacramento can come too.)
The model shouldn't be the TGV. It should be the New York metro area's Metro-North and LIRR. I'd also argue for a significant amount of motorail [1] stock, but that offends the train purists.
> While no final track has yet been laid, this constitutes the vast majority of the work to prepare the route
Right, that's the problem. Invisible work gobbles up time and money due to a broken process that prorioritises bullshit over tangible results.
> The project has sufficient California funds only to last through the Trump administration, complete and electrify the existing 120 miles, purchase train sets, and begin construction of the Merced and Bakersfield extensions — but not fully complete them
Don't start shit you can't finish. Electrify and expand the regional rail and pause work in the Central Valley. Because you know who could catch the Trump administration's sympathy? Central Valley farmers.
The model shouldn't be the TGV. It should be the New York metro area's Metro-North and LIRR. I'd also argue for a significant amount of motorail [1] stock, but that offends the train purists.
> While no final track has yet been laid, this constitutes the vast majority of the work to prepare the route
Right, that's the problem. Invisible work gobbles up time and money due to a broken process that prorioritises bullshit over tangible results.
> The project has sufficient California funds only to last through the Trump administration, complete and electrify the existing 120 miles, purchase train sets, and begin construction of the Merced and Bakersfield extensions — but not fully complete them
Don't start shit you can't finish. Electrify and expand the regional rail and pause work in the Central Valley. Because you know who could catch the Trump administration's sympathy? Central Valley farmers.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorail