When I was younger, I remember first hearing about the
Shinkansen and being dumbstruck. The famed Japanese bullet train connected some of Japan's most important cities to each other and did so in a fraction of the time as driving.
Bullet trains are now old news. A host of advanced nations have their own flagship high-speed trains that help commuters and tourists get to where they need to go without having to spend hours behind the wheel or deal with the hassle of air travel. China, Spain, Germany, Japan, and France are just some of the countries that have invested in this crucial technology to make the lives of their citizens a little bit easier.
One notable country missing from that list is the United States. But that was supposed to change in 2008 when one state was promised a high-speed rail. That was the year California voters approved California Proposition 1A which was to bring our own Shinkansen to the Golden State. The new railway line was to get passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than two hours. But that was more than a decade ago and the train has yet to materialize. And just this month, Governor Gavin Newsom took a hacksaw to Californians' dreams of high speed.
Due to years of mismanagement and cost overruns, Newsom announced that a train from SF to LA is impossible but instead he's shortened the route to just connect Bakersfield to Merced. This is not what we were promised. We voted for a train that would connect some of California's most important cities and exciting destinations. A route that would cut down on traffic, reduce carbon emissions and give everyday Californians the option to opt out of burdensome air travel.
Now, instead of connecting two areas that make up a little less than half the population of the state, the governor thinks connecting two areas with less than 4% of the citizens of the state.
Californians voted for a train because we want to promote economic development, reduce suburban clutter, cut down on the number of cars on the road and carbon emissions in the air, help safeguard pristine lands from development and set an example for the rest of the country that high-speed rail travel could be a reality in the United States.
What we are being offered is not what we voted for a decade ago.
That's what Californians want, and that's what we deserve.Don't let Gov. Newsom short change this California dream. Sign this petition and tell Gavin Newsom that California wants its train!