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California Bullet Train - Legislation 2008
New Way of Life Needed to High Speed Rail
Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, October 20, 2008
Building a high-speed rail system would change the way Californians travel. But for high-speed rail to work - as it does in Europe and Asia - Californians will have to change the way they live, and the state will have to change the way it grows.
High-speed train experts from France and Japan as well as the United States say that the success of the 800-mile system depends not just on the commitment of money but on the willingness to develop and live in denser cities and vastly expand and modernize public transportation systems in areas where trains stop.
"It's a lifestyle change we're talking about," said Noriyuki Shikata, a North American director in the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "It affects how people lead their lives."
Monday, October 20, 2008
