The only think that bothers me more than the incredible cost overruns and mind numbing drawn out process of building mass transit systems in this country... are people that think we can just get by with buses and cars... even though they don't live in a city and never take the bus. Ever.
The problem with buses is that they get stuck in traffic. They're loud. They are subject to the poor maintenance of the roads. And they have a stigma... earned or not.
I'm sure we don't need a big old rail transit system in Lincoln, Nebraska Dead0man... but mass transit is one of those things that needs a properly routed network to be successful. Of course the first tiny leg of a brand new rail transit system is going to be underwhelming and costly.
That said I'm not surprised this is happening in California. Amtrak is doing the smart thing and buying up trackage as freight railroads reroute or stop using certain sections... and upgrading it so their traditional trains can run 110mph. They're also upgrading tracks in the Northeast Corridor and new trainsets are already being built to replace the Acela trains. These trains will initially operate up to 160mph and later at 186mph with increased speed around corners due to the latest tilting technology.
We should be pouring money into the Northeast corridor and expanding it southward down the east coast. As it stands, Amtrak hopes to reduce the time it takes to get from Washington to New York from just over 3 hours to 96 minutes within 15-20 years. We could do better than that.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonrabinowitz/2016/08/26/amtraks-acela-express-replacement-arriving-in-2021/#75803fd16257
