Rick Seymour: Bullet train or clean power?

I love the idea of taking a high speed train from the valley and arriving in San Francisco in less than one hour, to watch a baseball game, a play or go out to dinner. I have only one question: “How much will it cost?” not to build the rail line, but the trip itself?

What would the price be for a round-trip ticket from Fresno, Modesto or Merced to San Francisco? If it is priced at $20 to $30 I would go often. If it’s $40 or more, and I take my family of four, it would cost us $160. Knowing that if I drive my car it would cost about $50 (200 miles divided by 20 miles per gallon would be 10 gallons of gas or $50) at that point I would have to think about it.

Instead, why don’t we invest in existing technology that is going to give us a return on our investment? We should install or build solar power desalination plants along the coast for drinking water (http://waterfx.co.) or install solar electric panels on state, county, and city buildings (with a payback of 8-12 years). These projects will create millions of new jobs across the state. I’m not sure what the estimated cost is to build the high speed rail; I have been told somewhere between $65 to $100 billion. I think we can invest our money more wisely.

To quote the movie “Field of Dreams” (1989): “If you build it they will come,” only works in Iowa, not California.

This story was originally published October 28, 2014 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Rick Seymour: Bullet train or clean power?."