Faster stopping electric trains, PTS (Positive Train Control), and new four-quadrant gate systems, will bring gate down-times equal to your basic city stop light. Think about it, we are not putting over-under crossings, at each street intersection.

Let's let Caltrain finish their traffic studies, and then review the results. My bet, is that crossing times will become a non-issue.

It doesn't make sense to me to tear up Mountain View and the rest of the peninsula towns so that we can FIND OUT if people prefer to take trains to Los Angeles. In my estimation people will not use the HSR much, and all the towns will have spent tons of money, and we will have ripped up Castro street and made an even bigger divide between the 'weathly' side of Mountain VIew and the rest of Mountain View.

I we really love the train to LA idea so much, then build it from San Jose down, and let people drive to San Jose or take public transportation (CalTrain) to get there. The rest of this is a big waste and destructive. I bet you anything that if we had a re-vote today, this would absolutely fail.

Ok, enough about the sacred cow of Castro Street and Old Mountain View. How about showing us some images of how it will effect the rest of Mountain View at Rengstorf and San Antonio. Or do all the stiffs living along the line there just no count for anything. The last time I looked there are no homes at Castro Street and very few business as close to line as will effect the homes. But, again, the only discussion we ever get is about how it will effect Castro Street. Surely the council and the Voice could turn their attention our way for once!

HSR is still alive? I thought it was dead. If it is still alive, I like Margaret's idea (take Caltrain to San Jose to catch HSR to LA). If they still insist on HSR to SF, let it run from SJ up the middle of the Bay.

Gee "Resident" you might get a clue.

There are no track crossings between Castro and Rengstorff. Then none between Rengstorff and San Antonio. So there is no potential effect on homes (between the crossings) except for the passing of the trains. That may be a concern, of course. Other than that, the article makes a point that the planners are working to stay within the existing CalTrain right of way.

Castro is an attractive destination and it is good for all residents to keep it so. In addition to being a nice amenity, it brings in a lot of money (jobs, taxes). A potential major rebuild of the crossing intersection in question is properly a priority for the council.

Running this thing up the peninsula is like stuffing 10 pounds of you know what into a 5 pound bag.

It's long past time for all at-grade railroad crossings in Mountain View to be changed to over or under crossings--with or without HSR.

Leaving aside the time it takes to wait for trains to pass, at-grade railroad crossings are simply not safe enough.

Someone should tell Joe that the train is dead and is a waste of time except payola for connected polititians. but he already knows as he transitions his wasted public career to Santa Clara County.

It is amusing to watch the 'lets pretend to build a high speed train"
game.

There is no money

I do not think the author or the readers understand what is going on here. The amount of money to actually build the entire system is staggering and not politically feasible to obtain from the feds, not in the next few decades at least. What is now happening is not an attempt to build high speed rail or prepare for high speed rail. This is a last ditch attempt to spend the state bond money in an attempt to electrify Caltrain by calling it a prelude to high speed rail and hoping that those making a legal ruling on this are actually political hacks who will declare that to be so. Caltrains own plans do not call for the ability to run the high speed trains up the Peninsula. Caltrain has created a plan that in theory has the ability to run one single high speed train each hour. In theory. That is only there so that they can say the are doing it for high speed rail so they are eligible for funds that the authority will give to them as nothing more than a conduit for federal funds. A conduit that in itself is a conduit to pay high priced consultants to put together lavish plans that will never come to fruition. Caltrain has no actual plans to run this single high speed train and high speed authority fake plans are for many times more trains than that. This works only because the Pacheco Pass route is never going to be built. High Speed Authority cannot say this out loud lest San Jose support is lost. Do not be lulled into thinking this has anything to do with high speed rail or getting ready for high speed rail. This is an attempt by Caltrain to take voter approved funds that were meant for high speed trains and instead use these billions of dollars to electrify their railway. As a builder of trains worldwide including some electrified lines, I am supportive of Caltrain electrifying. This would be a positive move for the railroad and for the Peninsula. No one however should be fooled as to what is really going on here. This is a desperate feeding frenzy drooling at the billion dollar trough on the other side of the fence, Caltrain hoping someone else does not make it to the trough first, or they take away the trough altogether before anyone can eat.

Jay Tulock, Vacaville

A high speed self-driving car lane or two built alongside US-5 would be a lot cheaper and lot more useful. Self driving cars could chain together following within inches, creating a virtual train, with low wind resistance, and high fuel efficiency. Upon arrival, a traveler has their own car with them, and can easily get to whatever their final destination is.

Self driving cars don't crash from inattentiveness, don't slow down to look at wrecks on the side of the road, don't cause many of the issues that slow down regular highways. By the time a high speed rail system could be build, self driving cars will be a common reality, and hardly anyone would use the rail.

With the number of fatalities on the tracks I just don't see how anyone can expect to run 10 trains an hour in each direction. Who ever is planning that is just out of touch with the stretch of tracks between SJ and SF.

We need to kill this overpriced wasteful project. Find, circulate and sign the ballet measure to put this project to a vote, now that the lies are exposed it will be defeated in an election. Search for the No Train Please Act website where you will read how to download an official signature form.

Just upgrade already! With gas reaching $5 a gallon the trains are packed and getting more crowded by the day. There should be plenty of rail options for not only the peninsula, but the entire state. That's what the people voted for. Stop using the thing as a political football and let's move into the 21st century for crying out loud!

I agree with Curious Observer - even with all the fancy safety work they've done at the Castro Street intersection, I still see far too many risks being taken by pedestrians and drivers in a hurry. Plus the left-turn from Moffett to Central Expwy is already a potential 10-minute wait during peak times. I'd be all for the trench option, even though I know it's a lot of $$. This would also help with the 2030 plan to unite Moffett and Castro into more of a cohesive whole.

I'm never voting for Jerry Brown's tax increase if he keeps pushing
this environmentally destructive waste of money. HSR needs to be
killed off ASAP.

I just don't understand why our City Council doesn't fight for us like
the Palo Alto Council fights for their residents.

High Speed Rail is a boondoggle!!

Jay turlock is a troll that posts AntiHSR nonsense all over the internet

Dont worry- The Mtn View council will roll over and do what they're told. Make downtown Mtn View into a railyard? Sure, why not. Google wants to build a new retail hub by their HQ anyway, so the council will roll over and let Castro street die.

Eric You are right. The Mayor has gone on record to suggest we block off Castro at the rail intersection. No more cars. That according to Councilman Siegel will not be so good for the downtown merchants as downtown is a destination.

Martin Luht, Your right it is being shoved down our throats by democrats who are out of touch and out of control. The Obama admin needs HSR in California because we are the only state that is willing to do it. His legacy relies on this and it will be another Solyndra.

Kathy, your right the trench is a great option. The Mayor says CalTrain has no money, this city has no money, and the CAHSRA has no money. It will not happen, if anything we are getting worst case 4 tracks at street level just as the planners at the CAHSRA wanted all along.

Bruno, Sorry but sad to say you are wrong. What we need is a better mass transit option and that happens to be BART. They have and excellent safety record, and they have a record of paying back their bonds.

Rodger, It will take a ballot referendum at this point to kill it.

Curios Observer, Your right CalTrain is a killing machine because they spend zero dollars to mitigate. They should have been sued 100 times over for failure to adequately protect citizens.

Jay Tulock, See my comments on a Prop 1A referendum.

John, Don't be deluded that there is no money. Far from the truth, they are seeking to use Gas Tax dollars to do this. There is plenty of money in the two bookends.

Doug Pearson, Your right if we had the money. If Mountain View would build out the grade separation at Castro and Rengstorff the system would be forced to use whatever we would build. We should build that today. Redwood City did it and so did San Carlos. What are we waiting for?

Martin, That's right the frequency and four tracks sounds like a nightmare where up to 8 minutes is a potential frequency and with no reliable way to link the traffic lights, people will sit and sit and get more frustrated then they are today.

If everyone likes what I propose, put me on the ballot in July for a council seat. The incumbents are scary that they will just roll over anything ABAG or the MTC or CalTrain, or the CAHSRA tells them.