Steer High-Speed Rail System on Right Track

Re “Amtrak to Unveil High-Speed Rail Plan in California,” March 6: It would be a great help to crunch some numbers occasionally. Twelve million people at 52 weeks per year and five days per week results in just over 46,000 people daily in 2020; this assumes no people on weekends. When the I-5, 91 and other freeways around Los Angeles carry close to 1 million vehicles per day today (almost 1.2 million people), not to mention airport passengers, how many would be carried locally by this newest waste of the taxpayer’s money? The 46,000 is statewide, according to your story; how many would this be locally compared to what the freeways carry today?

A. TRUJILLO ESCARENO

Tustin

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When a relatively poor nation such as China can afford to have the Germans build it a real high-speed train, and the French, Japanese and Germans already have such (the French TGV operates at over 190 mph), why do the various American transportation agencies think we are impressed because California is planning to construct a “high-speed” rail system that will travel at 125 mph?

Unlike the recently launched and needless aircraft carrier, which will be obsolete in a few years, the train will be perhaps a more sleek Model T. I’m sure that other newspapers in the world will run this story with a little chuckle at the end.

F. DANIEL GRAY

Los Angeles