Re: “Dan Walters: Bullet train poll mostly propaganda”

I thought Dan Walters considered himself a numbers guy. When it comes to high-speed rail, his logic doesn’t add up.

I spent this morning pricing high-speed rail trips and airplane trips over the same distances in some of the world’s already-established high-speed rail corridors. What I found were tickets half the cost of airfare.

In Japan, a trip from Tokyo to Osaka tomorrow morning would cost you $160 on the Shinkansen and $283 by plane.

In France, Paris to Lyon would be $157 by high-speed train – the TGV – and $336 by air.

In Spain, the relatively new line from Madrid to Seville on Monday morning (you can’t book before then because it’s so well-ridden that tickets aren’t easily available this week), it would be $108 one-way compared to $200 by plane.

High-speed rail throughout the world is competitive, draws riders, and generates surplus revenues on its operations. It would be the same in California.

--Jeff Barker
Deputy Executive Director
California High-Speed Rail Authority

Read the recent press release at http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/news/Survey-Finds-Strong-Support-for-High-S...