Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, September 14, 2010, 1:57 PM
Town Square
High speed train station idea loses steam
Original post made on Sep 14, 2010
Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, September 14, 2010, 1:57 PM
Comments (24)
a resident of Sylvan Park
on Sep 14, 2010 at 2:19 pm
no one has said how many trains a day are running from LA to SF!
are we to think 2 trains south and 2 trains north like the old Daylight. or are they leaving hourly in both directions...?
a resident of Rex Manor
on Sep 14, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Trains will run somewhere around every 10 minutes (many of which would express through a hypothetical Mountain View station).
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Sep 14, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Scott,
Last thing I heard, the plan was to have trains running every 15/20 min
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Sep 14, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Good thing to see the MV council come to their senses.
Would be even better is they were sending a letter saying 'thanks but no thanks,' for the entire HSR project
a resident of Rex Manor
on Sep 14, 2010 at 5:01 pm
I think Mountain View is really missing a big chance to become the public transportation hub of the Peninsula. I wish the City council of Mountain View were really embracing the idea of being the hub and try to accommodate HSR instead of putting road blocks up.
a resident of Rex Manor
on Sep 14, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Perhaps now the city council can decide on getting ferry service into the Shoreline Park for the 2020 World Expo. That way we can get many cars off the local roadways and freeways. Hey I would love to take a ferry boat to Vallejo or to SF from Mtn. View. City Council, time to act...
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Sep 14, 2010 at 5:37 pm
@HJ Jost what color is the sky is in your world?
a resident of The Crossings
on Sep 14, 2010 at 9:11 pm
I'd vote for a station nearby. That will slow the trains down through town. The noise and vibration would be lower than full speed trains blasting through. BART predicted running trains far more frequently than they actually do now. HSR is probably making the same overly optimistic claims that BART did in the 70's. Is BART a bad thing?
Why not put the station at San Antonio? The City can declare the Mayfield Mall a redevelopment district, condemn it and create a well planned station to serve both Palo Alto and Mountain View. The Mayfield Mall is actually a pretty scary and desolate place for a very long time now. It's like a suburban ruin.
a resident of another community
on Sep 14, 2010 at 9:17 pm
HJ's vision is probally 20/20 and can clearly see the future and what is needed instead of blind slurb naysayers and teabags
a resident of Cuesta Park
on Sep 14, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Another important reason to get rid of Siegel & Bryant for new
life on City Council. It really is a shame with all these local
politicians trying to thwart this 21st Century major transportation
infrastructure. Meanwhile watch China get ahead.
a resident of another community
on Sep 15, 2010 at 12:27 am
How does MV benefit from traffic? Go look at the Millbrae BART station (closest real world comparison to an HSR station). There has been no revitalization, just traffic and one fast food place. Lots of traffic
a resident of The Crossings
on Sep 15, 2010 at 6:44 am
Shame they voted against it. I was looking forward to the ability to travel easily across the state. Was also hoping it would help increase the property values in Mountain View (well not those right next to the track).
a resident of Shoreline West
on Sep 15, 2010 at 8:30 am
Why isn't someone thinking about the absurdity of depositing all those cars in our beautiful downtown just to have a train ration here? In Europe and big cities like New York, one gets to the train station with a cab or a bus or other transit They don't have a mega parking lot.
a resident of Rex Manor
on Sep 15, 2010 at 12:01 pm
I'd like to see the city council ask the HSRA if they can design the tracks to allow for a Mountain View station in the future. This way, a MV station can be added if future development in downtown warrants it.
BART's Embarcadero station wasn't even part of the original BART system, but was added a few years later in response to rapid development in that area. It is now the most popular station in the system.
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Sep 15, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Look at the Politics, the vote has moved from Budget for the city Via VTA and CHSR to NO against the idea so the people will fall for the status quo idiots soon to be not listening to the people after being elected.
Rid Mountain View of Bryant the Major from Stupidville who cannot think about anything but what is best for her.
the IMBY fools are trying to FOOL everyone again, do not let this happen!
Note who voted against the Minton ultra-high density project next to the NEW MV-HSR station. Seigel voted against, Bryant and Abe-koga for, it is easy to see the liars vote them out of office!
Bryant and Abe-koga be gone!
a resident of Cuesta Park
on Sep 15, 2010 at 8:48 pm
-second David Bloom's idea - I went to the meeting and it is clear that HSR only idea is a lot of parking in at least a 4 story garage. But the multi-train per hour is a hope more than a realistic projection. If its built... the accommodation of 'platform space' in the center HSR rails could accommodate a 'future' MV station. There is much better option of rail and Central Ave. covered by low parking structure all the way from 85 through Shoreline. Plently of room for low structures to expand (but don't build station superstructure or any parking until ridership increases).
Our council as a whole seemed reasonably skeptical of the 'projections'. Even the two staunchly opposed gave fairly well reasoned descriptions of their concerns and views. They struck me as neither pushovers - or NIMBYs!
a resident of Willowgate
on Sep 16, 2010 at 4:57 pm
I must say that I wouldn't look forward to having my house plowed down so that a platform/parking lot can be built from 85 to Shoreline! I have been planning to live in my house for the next 50 years. What an eyesore as well. Who would want to get off the train with a half mile long parking lot staring them down? Mountain View would look like a Walmart parking lot.
Another thing - who exactly is going to be riding the train every 10 minutes from SF to Los Angeles? Are they going to be one-seaters? How many people fly from SF to LA every day? Are we really expecting them all to take the train?
Two things that would make sense to me:
1) Build public transportation that gets us to the airports easily.
2) Build HSR from San Jose to Los Angeles. People from SF can take Caltrain through the peninsula at virtually the same speed!
Margaret
P.S. I love the people who dismiss the not-in-my-backyard concern out of hand. I just hope like crazy that they get the chance to have some nutjob waste of money built in their back yard, front yard, side yard, living room, kids' bedrooms, bathroom, closet, kitchen,....
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Sep 16, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Isn't there going to be a station in San Jose? If HSR has stations every 12 miles, it's going to take a long time to get to LA.
If you're wondering what happens when you put in too many stations, just take a ride on the light rail.
a resident of Rex Manor
on Sep 17, 2010 at 8:54 am
@MikeR:
Not all HSR trains will be stopping at all stations. If you're going from SF to LA, for example, you can book a ticket on an express train that makes fewer, if any, stops along the way.
a resident of Shoreline West
on Sep 17, 2010 at 11:00 am
And what do the riders do when they get to LA? Why, rent a car to get around, of course. That's why the HSR "plan" is a bunch of hooey. Factor in all of the little hassles: drive to the station, park, ticketing, no smoking (1 in 5 adult Americans smoke), crowding, then renting a car at the other end, the line for that, and you might as well drive. Ultimately, driving will be cheaper and more convenient.
This thing is nothing but a cash cow for a small clique of scam artists.
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Sep 17, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Dumb americans...you will be forever stuck in your cars because you are too dumb to have an effective public transit system...the oil companies will see to that..
a resident of Castro City
on Sep 17, 2010 at 10:48 pm
I'm not seeing much benefit for local residents. Ditto for most riders on the HSR. How about running it along 280 from San Jose to San Francisco. It would be very fast and very scenic. CalTrain is fine for local trips, and getting to the HSR stations. Plus there is plenty of upgrade options for CalTrain.
a resident of Rex Manor
on Sep 18, 2010 at 7:47 am
@Joe Silva:
The I-280 corridor is way too bendy for a safe, comfortable HSR system.
a resident of Shoreline West
on Sep 19, 2010 at 1:44 am
Nobody is going to ride this thing except the grifters that are riding it already.
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