Reason on The TV: Adrian Moore Talks High-Speed Rail on KCET

On March 17, 2010 Reason Foundation's vice president of research Adrian Moore told KCET's SoCal Connected why California's high speed rail system will cost much more than estimated and why practically nobody will ride it.

Approximately 9 minutes.

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Comments

[Nash]

Imagine going from LA to San Francisco in less than 3 hours at 200 MPH?

What is this 1935? We have these things called planes. They can do it in less than half the time and twice the speed.

[To Nash]

But keep in mind, HSTs have an unmatched (near perfect) safety record, they don't have to go through a check in process (you can arrive at the station 5 mins before you train, and it takes you downtown to downtown). Overall, it's theoretically faster than an airplane, and they're not affected by weather.

[Colonel_Angus]

I think travel time/ connections to and from the airport or train stations, waiting times, check-in, etc. should be included in the total travel time when comparing air and rail travel. Its possible that security for high speed rail could be made in to a big headache. And a lot of the time, people won't be traveling to downtown areas. I can't see rail travel taking the majority of the market share, although I believe a private service could be profitable in the right conditions (in other words, wouldn't happen in the regulatory nightmare of Hahafornia).

[SKR]

oh sure, the TSA isn't going to make HSR a nightmare because it's not a high value target. And, it is just sooo hard to attack a train. I mean that's just never been done, right?

[Nash]

Also Curt Pringle is a douchebag because the Los Angeles Angels has a much better ring to it than the Anaheim Angels.

[Dodger Fan]

Fucking imposter!

[johnl]

They should have renamed the stadium to be the Los Angeles Stadium.

[BakedPenguin]

Hey, we're also getting a high speed train no one will ride here in Central Florida, too. Where's the love for our f*cked up boondoggle?

[Isaac Bartram]

Baked, I can't wait to drive down I-4 and watch the empty trains go by in the median.

Also I can't wait to hear all the bitching and moaning there will be about the Sunrail trains stopping traffic at all the level crossings between O-town and De-land.

[creech]

Why does Reason hate trains? They are for the children in us.

[CTHORM@IBIS]

Are we completely lacking in imagination here? California used to have really ambitious boondoggles (Governor Moonbeam EMERGENCY SATTELITE 1978 FTW), but now we just want to spend a stupid amount of money on rail technology that is 30 years old. That isn't how you win our hearts, we need WHIZ BANG FLOATING Trains if you want to talk revolutionary. This is just sopping to contractors and people who hate cars.

The whole country could have even faster trains if the damn Vogons would stop mandating turds.

[Sudden]

Hover Trains FT back to the future W

[Jeffersonian]

Jet packs, there's the answer. Federally-funded jet packs for everyone! It's a right!!!

[Sudden]

They have them in GTA: San Andreas. And you can get it for free w a cheat code.

[Colonel_Angus]

The jet pack is too slow compared to the trains. You can get an instant AV-8 with a button code, too. And you get missiles.

[Scotch Hamilton]

Wow, who would have guessed that a Reason "transportation analyst" would conclude that nobody would ride a high speed train?

[Jeffersonian]

Anyone that's been watching Amtrak lose money for decades?

[Joe Biden]

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

[Hurr D. RRr Libtard]

No ones rides the slow ones too. Californians hates public transportation, walking.

[Douglas Fletcher]

I know it's not high speed but I'll sell you our light rail here in Phoenix for a mere $500 million. You have to haul, though.

[TrickyVic]

""But keep in mind, HSTs have an unmatched (near perfect) safety record, they don't have to go through a check in process (you can arrive at the station 5 mins before you train, and it takes you downtown to downtown). ""

A highspeed train would be considered a terrorist target and you probably would end up with TSA security checkpoints.

Every now and then I keep hearing that the TSA is going to have security checkpoints to board Amtrak trains. Hasn't happened yet. The talk will probably surface again since the Moscow bombings.

[Almanian]

What is the fascination with trains? I think it has something to do with recurring dreams of a train entering a dark, lonely tunnel at night...

Cause as transportation for people, they're not competitive with the alternatives.

[Colonel_Angus]

They could be competitive with the alternatives as a private service, if everything was desubsidized, deregulated, and sold outright to private ownership. And if the government would stop fucking with the energy markets. Really, there's no telling what we would end up with in a much more market oriented transportation policy (ideally no transportation policy at all).

Some commuter services on the freight lines were actually profitable all the way until they were subsidized by state governments in the 1970's and 1980's.

[SKR]

I have to repeat my experience at the polling place when this BS passed.
I was standing in line and there was a young guy behind me talking on his cell. He told the person on the other end that he was going to vote for HSR because, "They are gonna tax us anyway. Might as well pick something cool."
I turned around and said, "Or you could just vote no on everything and maybe then they wouldn't have to tax you as much." He just slightly cocked his head and stared at me quizically.

God damn kids get of my lawn!!!

[NONIMBYS]

BS?? how about the stupid BS about American...yuuppp RED white and BLUEEE ..dumb ass holes..spend all our money paying for your "freedom" oil..remember oil sucking think tank its Arab..hates assholes like you people..so hows that free?? BYW cleveland sucks along with your fat parma pollock backer

[SKR]

Nice ad hominem attacks, take the racism home troll. You are obviously new here otherwise you would know, no one here supported oil adventurism.

[SKR]

Since Amtrak is making a strong play to get control of the CA HSR, no surprise there, I have an Amtrak story.

So my girlfriend at the time and one of her girlfriends were taking a train cross country to come visit me in Los Angeles. They were in a car with another guy who had a guitar. So there was only the three of them plus an Amtrak employee. The guy starts playing the guitar and the girls were listening. After a short while the Amtrak employee tells him that he had to stop playing because he is bothering other passengers. The guitarist looks around at the empty car and makes a smartass comment about the car being empty. They exchanged words ending with the guitarist asking, "What fucking country do you think this is?" To which the Amtrak employee responded, "Amtrak nation". The employee left the car momentarily. About this time they were pulling into a station in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in Utah. The employee returns with his boss who proceeded to kick the guitarist off the train in the middle of nowhere, at night, on a Sunday. All because he wouldn't lick the boots of an Amtrak employee.

[Dudeman]

While I think this is a terrible idea, people assuming that planes are faster and that air travel is not a net-loss are fooling themselves. Security checks, transit to and from the airport and more make flying slower. As for Amtrak losing money, of course it does. But so does air travel. The massive amount public dollars that went/goes into building airports, providing security as well as trained former military pilots & air traffic controllers amounts to an enormous public subsidy. Argue against trains and this California plan all you want and I'll probably agree with you, but don't glorify air travel in this country like it is some sort of glorious free market.

[NONIMBYS]

SKR...Suck "FREEDOM" oil...all the way to the Liberatian A hole bank..Fear not Lib you will still be able to waste your money on gas ..HSR or not..PIGS like the reason/cato/rebubs will always find an excuse for being selfish