Students Continue Push for California HSR

Following up on my last post, momentum is building for California’s High Speed Rail plans, and students from the High Speed Rail Spring Break have proudly led the charge.

NARP At-Large Director Dennis Lytton caught up with them on the south steps of Los Angeles City Hall on March 27th where they were rallying with Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, the L.A. City Council’s leading supporter of passenger rail.

According to University of California, Davis freshman Jessica Lam, “A lot of people were skeptical about us spending our spring break this way,” she continued, “It’s been so much fun . . . we’re biking and carpooling.  And we believe in High Speed Rail.”

Meanwhile in the past week, a poll demonstrated strong majority support—58%—for the November bond measure (passage requires a simple majority).  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) also softened his position on the measure as the State Assembly considers placing a measure on the ballot that would require aggressively seeking private financing.  Perhaps he is beginning to realize that he could best realize his legacy as a “Green governor” by supporting the one project that would do more to radically shape California’s environmental future in a positive way than any other.

As for the students, here are photos from their tour (click here to see their album):

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Here’s a short video from the first two days of the tour:

For background, here’s a promotional video commissioned by the HSR Authority:

Here’s a story from Quest on PBS affiliate KQED:

 

 

Finally, for a neat Google Map of the proposed route and stations, see this VentureBeat post.

For the latest developments, be sure to follow Robert Cruickshank’s California High Speed Rail Blog.

—Matthew Melzer