With the current controversy over how much it will cost to actually build high speed rail, there’s been relatively little discussion about what Californians are actually getting with the planned bullet train. And when it comes to how the train system will function in the lives of passengers, the role of high speed rail stations becomes even more important.
Zocalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathewssays California should model its system more after Germany, where train stations are vital hubs of activity themselves in cities like Franfurt and Cologne. And transportation researcher Eric Eidlin in a report for the German Marshall Fund suggests that valley cities need to think twice about the location and designs of their planned stations if they want to maximize the potential for success.
Both Mathews and Eidlin joined us on Valley Edition to talk about how Fresno and Bakersfield are faring when it comes to planning for the bullet train.
