Engineers Week 2023 Webinar – Modern Station Design for the Nation’s First High-Speed Rail System

Engineers and consultants from companies contracted with the Authority’s Station Planning and Sustainability team present on the sustainability goals for our stations, discuss global examples of successful HSR stations, and dive into the interface of planning, architecture, and engineering throughout the station design process.

[theexmann]

One of the most interesting videos with forward looking information about the CAHSR stations. The station design paradigm seems comprehensive. Maybe a little too much so? I'm thinking of the old adage, "too many cooks in the kitchen." I hope that is not the case and it's more about developing a supportive structure for coming up with great station designs and not one with overriding competing interests that might leave some important issues by the side of the tracks. Keeping my fingers crossed.

It inspires confidence to see how comprehensive the planning process is in designing these first-in-the-nation HSR stations. However, i heard very little about how these stations would deal with growth going forward. Are these stations being built to readily accommodate future growth and expansion? Is there any thought of expanding these stations underground, for example? My concern is that these stations are not designed in a way that makes it very difficult to expand in the future at great cost. I look at LAX, for example. i've been following the most recent expansion and renovation very closely and many decisions about how to do this project come back to the original horseshoe shape of the airport. It seems the design decision to built LAX in this horseshoe design was not the best in retrospect when it came to future expansion.

I foresee these HSR stations to become very popular for local, regional and statewide transportation needs. Which will result in transformations of their surrounding neighborhoods and the respective cities at large. So let's hope the stations themselves are able to positively adapt to their surroundings in the future. It's not just about adapting to the growing development around the station, but of the station's growth itself.

[Davidpirate]

It's great that you guys are talking about station designs and goals. From architecture design, and environmental concerns. But I am concerned that once CAHSR opens, it won't be profitable due to high transportation costs, and maintenance overtime.

Profitability is not a serious concern in other countries with bullet trains cause those countries are willing to invest and cover running costs of their public trans as a service (like how US treats highways). But in the US profitability must be a concern. It is why so many Trams and trolley and subway systems were torn down... Due to "profitability".

The Rail authority needs to diversify it's revenue sources. Create malls, shopping centers, and offices inside and around stations and inside the land that CAHSR owns, and lease those locations out. Getting profits from those locations, this would naturally encourage business around the stations, and encourage CAHSR to improve service and maintenance to increase the value of the stores around the stations, which would increase lease values, which means more profit. This is almost exactly the same system Japan has. Even US airports do this.

We need to create business not just around the bullet trains stations, but inside them as well. Or issues like what the NY subway and Bart has (lack of cleanliness and maintenance issues) are far more likely. Which can decrease ridership, and then less trains.

Please, Please, Please take this into consideration.

[davidjackson]

These outdoor stations in the summer will be so wonderful to comfortably use by hundreds of daily passengers beginning as early as 2035. The cities on the route are very popular destinations for 40 million Californians.

[davidjackson]

The $2 Billion station in SF was started in 2010 and open in 2019. It is used for buses by hundreds each day. Trains may connect within 20-30 years. The extention costs start at $8 Billion in 2022 dollars and may take a decade or more for a 1-2 mile tunnel with three sharp turns to be built. Future CAHSR stations can use this as an excellent example of a bus station. Without retail rents it costs an additional $2 million a MONTH to maintain.