I can't wait to take the train from Merced to Fresno!
They're doing it in pieces- the worst pieces to start- and setting the whole scheme up to fail. Which would be a tragedy. Track-sharing in the Bay and SoCal? It's almost laughably bad.
Its so sad that the same misunderstandings crop up so much.
the initial segments will be operated by existing conventional services (among Amtrak's most popular, I might add) at higher speeds until they're able to run trains over Tehachapi pass.
As so for track sharing, while it is certainly sub-optimal, electrification of the caltrain corridor provides the space needed to operate a blended service. At the LA end, they'll make the track capacity they need, as metrolink doesn't run all that many trains up to Palmdale. It certainly doesn't preclude a future dedicated route.
Many TGV lines use conventional speed terminal railroads to gain access to cities
