California lawmakers traveled across the globe to explore the possibility of bringing a 700-mile high-speed rail system to California.
Tuesday morning one of those lawmakers got a first-hand look at how the system could work. Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D–San Francisco, was the only American on board a train in France that reached a record speed for rail trains of 356 miles an hour.
The ultimate train speed record is 361 miles an hour, which was reached in 2003 by a Japanese magnetically levitated train.
California lawmakers are spending the week in France to get ideas on how they can implement a system that would carry passengers at speeds of more than 200 miles an hour.
“Time-wise it will be quicker than an airplane. It will be cheaper than an airplane. It will be far more convenient, far more safe, and far more environmentally friendly,” said Mehdi Morshed with the California High-Speed Rail Authority. He has been working a proposed high speed rail system for the last 10 years.
The cost of such a project is expected to be as much as $40 billion. Voters could decide on a bond to fund the project in 2008. However, Gov. Schwarzenegger wants to delay the vote for such a project. He says the state’s highways and prison crisis are far more pressing issues that need to be dealt with first.
Tuesday morning one of those lawmakers got a first-hand look at how the system could work. Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D–San Francisco, was the only American on board a train in France that reached a record speed for rail trains of 356 miles an hour.
The ultimate train speed record is 361 miles an hour, which was reached in 2003 by a Japanese magnetically levitated train.
California lawmakers are spending the week in France to get ideas on how they can implement a system that would carry passengers at speeds of more than 200 miles an hour.
“Time-wise it will be quicker than an airplane. It will be cheaper than an airplane. It will be far more convenient, far more safe, and far more environmentally friendly,” said Mehdi Morshed with the California High-Speed Rail Authority. He has been working a proposed high speed rail system for the last 10 years.
The cost of such a project is expected to be as much as $40 billion. Voters could decide on a bond to fund the project in 2008. However, Gov. Schwarzenegger wants to delay the vote for such a project. He says the state’s highways and prison crisis are far more pressing issues that need to be dealt with first.
District: 455 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 14600- San Francisco, CA 94102 - Tel: (415) 557-2312 - Fax: (415) 557-1178