Reflection 5: All Aboard?—High Speed Rail in California

In 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, which allocated $9.95 billion to the California High-Speed Rail Authority for the construction of state-wide high-speed rail (HSR) system. When completed, HSR promises to dramatically alter transportation options in the state:

• Sacramento to San Francisco: 284 miles in under 2 hours; $40 one-way
• Sacramento to Los Angeles: 412 miles in under 2.5 hours; $53 one-way
• San Francisco to Los Angeles: 432 miles in under 3 hours, $55 one-way
• San Francisco to Bakersfield: 284 miles in under 2 hours; $43 one-way
• San Francisco to San Diego: 616 miles in 4 hours; $70 one-way
• San Jose to Anaheim: 429 miles in 2.5 hours; $54 one-way
• San Jose to San Diego: 567 miles in 3.5 hours; $66 one-way
• Los Angeles to San Diego: 167 miles in under 1.5 hours; $30 one-way

Though the proposition passed, and significant state and federal funds are secured, HSR's future is still somewhat dubious. Lawsuits have been filed over everything from environmental impact reports to the placement of rail routes. Environmentalist groups have sought changes in routes to lessen the impact on sensitive areas, while transportation advocates fear HSR will draw away funds from traditional transportation systems, such as trains and buses. In the Bay Area, a coalition of peninsula interests, including the cities of Menlo Park and Atherton, have sued the state hoping to stop the project altogether, fearing, in part, that rail lines will divide their affluent neighborhoods. And, of course, the state's perpetual budget woes continue to loom over the project, set to begin construction in Central California in 2012. Californians are equally enthusiastic and pessimistic about the project. They are delighted at the prospects of traveling so quickly and efficiently, yet they lack faith in Sacramento to complete such a massive endeavor. How does HSP illustrate both everything that is right in the state and everything that is wrong? In a decade's time, do you believe this system be a reality? Why or why not?

Requirements:

• MLA format
• 2 pages minimum

Due: We 3.23 / Th 3.24