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The recent Community Voices opinion piece by Matt Farrell reminded us that we voted for the rail trail in huge support of the concept. Yes, we were told, the train would lessen gridlock, provide tourist dollars, reduce the polar vortex and slice our tomatoes. No one mentioned, however, that the entire infrastructure was inadequate for the type of rail system needed to provide the actual ridership required for sustainability.
That’s right. It turns out we need high-speed rail. Our current “track” is useless for this! Whoops! Get ready for taxes forever to pay for a system like the one being suggested now. Oh yeah, and start praying that thousands of people will ride the 32-mile train, along with all the stops along the way, and the need for Ubers to get to their actual destination once they step off the train.
We might want to have a revote, with the voters told about the true costs involved to install high-speed rail through their backyards.
Ed Pitts
Santa Cruz