Why California High Speed Rail is Struggling (Re-upload)

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Select videos courtesy of the AP Archive

Special thanks to MapTiler / OpenStreetMap Contributors and GEOlayers 3

[RealLifeLore]

For those who have noticed, yes, this is a re-upload. The older version of this video had a LOT that was wrong, and it was not something I was proud about or comfortable having up on this channel. This new version has fixed all those errors, and I'm much happier with this one. Thank you so much to everyone who left comments on the old video pointing out the many problems with it and to everyone who reached out to me directly to voice their concerns. I'm always listening to y'all and value your thoughts. Cheers :)

[alanthefisher]

Looks good compared to the old video, thanks for fixing it!

[ChickenFriedDryEraseMarkers]

Wow. I 100% respect you for taking it on the chin and going back to fix, rather than to dig your toes in. You care about getting it right versus being right. Which is super important fir a channel like this. Bravo!

I only wish I could see my old comments on the last video to examine all the changes that were made, for science. But I am sure happy, this is a great improvement. 👍

[hexazalea]

If they actually finish it. It'll allow people to avoid the I-5 That's the big draw. People die on the I-5 because the fog can reduce visibility to practically nothing. It's scary just seeing the signs to gauge visibility. I really appreciate that you actually redid the video not enough people do that.

[Homer-OJ-Simpson]

This is why I trust this channel. They realized they made some mistakes, took the criticism, removed the video, then uploaded a new more accurate video.

[benverboonen]

This is a much better view of the issue. Good job taking the constructive criticism of your first video! Your videos always should have the high standards you first set.

[ahnafj]

I just watched a video from NotJustBikes and he said that the way we used to make transit was first the railroad then the development but if you propose now to make a train that goes no where people would laugh you out of the room. This really helped me understand how California's HSR is actually future proofing mass transit for new developments to be transit oriented before they even pop up. I love that forward thinking.

[annettebernal]

As someone is grown up in the valley hearing about the high-speed rail even with all the costs and how long it’s taken I still want them to make it. I’ve taken Amtrak it sucks if I could go back and forth quicker it would make life much easier

[Triviality]

I will always respect someone willing to correct their mistakes, and I already like RealLifeLore a lot!

[cxvelasco]

I work in transportation planning. Thank you for making these corrections. Baseless claims against transit are a major problem in our field.

[AMDGAlex]

Really glad you’ve made this video, and looked to make your content better with the re-upload. Thank you @RealLifeLore for bringing important topics to the forefront, especially when it’s something that relates to my home

[namehere]

I feel like it's important to note that the interstate highway system has been completely rebuilt a few times since the 1950s. The cost of maintenance is the entire cost of rebuilding the highway (minus initial land purchase), the cost of rail maintenance once foundations are seismic stabilized and tunnels dug is much less.

There's a reason the Midwest and Northeast have the joke about there being 3 seasons: "Summer, Winter, and Road Construction". People don't notice the inconvenience or cost as much because the highway system gets fixed in chunks of a few miles at a time, every few years. Or a big mixmaster project in a few cities at a time all over the country.

The reality is that the highway system is nickel and diming us, it's also built for leisure, not large scale passenger travel and freight. Route 66 and the great American road trip still has appeal, but mostly a road trip is something that is "in the way" of you getting to your actual destination.

Because of this, people also view those highways as more important than they need to be. When I drive to visit family, my car mostly sits while the people who live there drive me around. Same as when I fly, but people have a connection to the imagined flexibility of the car.

[diasturien]

Well done for recognizing the shortcomings of your earlier video and taking the time to address them, not many youtubers go to the trouble, and most wouldn't even delete the original video!

[Oscee]

I live in Japan and several times had to "hop over" to Nagoya from Tokyo for a meeting. about 220 miles, less than a 2-hours ride with a train that leaves every 10-15 minutes. Don't even need to wake up particularly early for a 10am meeting in Nagoya and it is so, so much more convenient than flying. I hope California can pull this off and can reap huge societal and environmental benefits. Though by that time the Tokyo-Nagoya rail will be likely MagLev and will take abour 45 minutes :)

[gnexjeff]

Thank you for always being thorough and responsible with your amazing educational and entertaining videos. You are one of the BEST content creators on YouTube and Nebula.

[rewmeister]

as a native to CA, it is hard to imagine this being completed. in the sense that it seems too good to be true. I have spent many many hours of my life in a car traveling around the state. having this kind of rail system would be AMAZING

[freddjie]

He actually listened to Alan Fisher’s Video and put the extra effort to update his old video. This is the ideal response to feedback; looking into and seeing what information was incorrect in his old video and improving upon it or correcting it

[rayhanmunavvar]

My respect for you has only grown, and grown a lot, for engaging with people’s feedback, taking stock of issues with the last video, and taking the effort and time to remake a video that would have taken a lot of work to make in the first place.

Your commitment to presenting reliable, informative and enjoyable reports to us is really commendable.

Power to you 🙌🏽

[anthonymanderson]

So glad that the new video was uploaded due to some errors made on the old one.

[captainsarahbee]

I see why you reuploaded this one. So much more info than the original. Thank you so much for this! It really helps put the project into better perspective.