California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR) System

When has money or sticking to a budget ever been a serious consideration on this project?....

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Grade separations funded by feds: KTLA.com

California High-Speed Rail gets big boost from Biden Administration
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The $202 million grant was made by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the 2022 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program — part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

The grant funding will be used to complete six grade separations in the city of Shafter, about 18 miles northwest of Bakersfield in Kern County.
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$202M spent on a town of 17,000?.....

$33M per intersection screams viaduct.

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I doubt it's a viaduct -- Shafter has a small yard with some active rail customers and the railroad cuts through it at an angle to the grid, so even if it were "just" road bridges, at least two will be big bridges with multiple intersections on each bridge.

Will almost certainly require property acquisition too given the area.

Come on volks, let's not pick on Shafter; I've been there!!!!!

Not in a while ("friend of a friend" student-taught there)

There are grade X-ings over both the ATSF and SP (about 1.5mi E of the ATSF); this "visit" was "early-Amtrak" with only the "one a day" San Joaquin passing through.

"Habla Espanol"; language of the street.

The "rolling total" farm vehicles I noted could just as easily "roll their last" atop X-ing the ATSF - and here comes a San Joaquin about to "make their day". Grade X-ing elimination through there should not be belittled.

Oh, and Linda from Atherton, CA? Well last I heard she had a "calling" for Christian missionary work. So, who knows what corner of the earth she finds herself in today.

RandallW wrote:I doubt it's a viaduct -- Shafter has a small yard with some active rail customers and the railroad cuts through it at an angle to the grid, so even if it were "just" road bridges, at least two will be big bridges with multiple intersections on each bridge.

CHSR is supposed to be dedicated ROW, so elevating just the HSR line should be no problemo, correcto?

The freight being switched should be irrelevant and can continue at grade....



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I don't see how BNSF and CAHSR could share track at any point. Switching will go on as though CAHSR didn't exist. They might have to put signs up st grade crossings warning that trains still run on these tracks.

ExCon90 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2023 11:09 pm I don't see how BNSF and CAHSR could share track at any point. Switching will go on as though CAHSR didn't exist. They might have to put signs up st grade crossings warning that trains still run on these tracks.

The suggestion being made is that CAHSR will be on a viaduct above both tracks and streets through this section. Given the limited ROW width here, that might indeed be the case, though the project map does not indicate any real viaducts in the area (except for maybe bridges over some road crossings).

The CAHSR ROW is immediately adjacent to the BNSF at this point (you can see it on Google Maps just north of the city and is at ground level. Although the overhead I've seen shows a couple of cars spotted at industries, it also shows that other industries have trees growing in tracks. Having looked at the 2018 EIS for the CAHSR, it's at ground level in Shafter with roads on bridges, so I'm wondering if there really are active BNSF customers in Shafter.

How otherwise would the fertilizer get there in the volume that "Big Ag" needs?

Hash and rehash, buy still an interesting read: FresnoBee

Bakersfield Station: BakersfieldNow.com

High-speed rail station coming to Bakersfield: A progress report on the nation's first 220 MPH electrified railway
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The station will be located near the intersection of Golden State Avenue and F street.

The high-speed rail authority is receiving $192 million dollars to advance the detailed design.
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The High Speed Rail Authority said the construction of the Bakersfield section of the rail will come in four separate projects.
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Construction will begin in 2027-28.

Anaheim Segment: KTLA.com

California High-Speed Rail proposes modification to L.A.-to-Anaheim segment

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is making some changes to its planned segment from Los Angeles to Anaheim.

On Monday, CAHSR announced it now plans to add a fourth rail line between the two Southern California cities, allowing for commuter rail systems and freight trains to each have their own dedicated sets of tracks, rather than have to share and coordinate through the busy metropolitan section.
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The original plan called for a freight facility to be built in the city of Colton, which would house trains that aren’t currently in operation and to allow for storage, maintenance and cleaning.
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A ride on the 33-mile Los Angeles-to-Anaheim segment is expected to take about 45 minutes. It’s a far cry from the “High-Speed” promise of the project, but the route is one of the most complicated and complex along the entire 800 miles of theoretical service area.
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