Research on the high-speed train is said to cut traffic by 1/3. The estimate is that the completion of the train will be in 2012 and will cost $45 billion. It would have the capacity for 120 million passengers by the year 2030. The 800 miles of rail would generate $1 billion in annual revenue. There is commentary that it’s a boondoggle, a job creator and white elephant as is Amtrak.  The problem is that all government projects, as a whole, are not properly run. Examples are the post office, the DMV and the Veteran’s hospitals.

My personal opinion is that the concept is great. However, the private automobile would be the train’s competition. The frustration of the automobile is it’s a stop-and-go, especially during rush hour on the freeways and there is always the risk of accidents. It’s the same with the train. You’ve got to stop to get people on and off. And of course everyone wants more stops. The more stops, the slower the train. The theory is if the train travels fast enough, it can make up the difference.

I have a simple solution that goes back to the start of rail and trains, of moving box-cars and passenger-cars. At the time they were first created, we did not have the technology available that we have today. We can have a high-speed train that will never slow down or ever stop but will let passengers get on and get off. You don’t have to be Superman or have something from outer space. It’s the simplicity of this concept that will garner its success.

The train would be an electric, standard-gauge rail, an electric street-car that goes through downtown L.A. to let people on and get off. At the station, the people could get off and walk into the parking garage to then rent, with a credit card, a hybrid or electric car of their choice. Those who want to go from L.A. to Santa Barbara or L.A to Orange County would merely stay on the streetcar and when the train at high-speed comes by, the streetcar would accelerate and catch up with the train with a feather-locking device that attaches to the last car of the train. All who wish to get off at the next station would stay on the first car. Those who are going to get off down the line would go to the designated car of their choice.

At the airport, the streetcar would go around the departing level and stop at all the major carriers. Luggage can, if desired, be pre-checked the day prior to the flight. Passengers can be pre-checked, too, once the car separates from the mother-train. Pre-checked passengers can walk right in.

The cars that make stops at the major stadiums and shopping centers all will be paid for by the stadium, the shopping malls and through advertisements by respective businesses. For example, if Angel Stadium wants the streetcars to stop, they have to put the dollars out; same goes with South Coast Plaza. Businesses can even opt to have a streetcar with their logo.

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