Reply #6: It's being worked on. [View All]

[Xithras]

California has a high speed rail authority that is working on the development of a North/South inland corridor which will do exactly what you're describing. One of the upcoming elections is supposed to have a bond issue to start purchasing the land and begin construction.

The inland route was chosen because a coastal route just doesn't make sense. The coast is so rugged that even a high speed train is going to travel fairly slowly, and there's really nowhere that needs a stop between Santa Barbara and the Bay Area. A Central Valley route, on the other hand, can travel much faster thanks to the flat terrain, and there are a number of largish cities along the route that could benefit from stops. As an added bonus, the increased speed of the inland trains, offsets the added delays of the extra stops enough to make travel time comparisons between the routes a wash.