California needs to build German-style high-speed rail

The value of high-speed rail lies not in costs or speed, but rather in how such projects anchor deep connections — between transportation hubs, cultural attractions, cities and jobs.

The secret is German rail stations, which serve as vital public spaces that connect institutions and provide space for people to gather, shop and be entertained.

If California high-speed rail can reproduce the German style and create a system that deeply binds the state together — and that’s a big if — then even a $100 billion project might be a bargain, given the economic and cultural benefits.

In his must-read report for the German Marshall Fund, Eric Eidlin, a community planner with the Federal Transit Administration in San Francisco, compares California’s plans with high-speed rail systems around the world.

German cities have integrated planning of rail stations and city centers, and Eidlin praises Fresno for doing the same, by considering its high-speed rail station alongside a remake of Fulton Mall.

[...] Eidlin argues for “blending” high-speed rail tracks with other trains — an aspect of the California proposal that has been criticized for slowing trains down — so they can use the same station platforms and make transfers easier.

The train was a little dirty, with an unattractive cafe car and trash in the seat backs — just like on Amtrak back home.

High-speed rail doesn’t require saintly public officials; Cologne is famous for its corruption and political intrigue (while I was in town, a woman was elected mayor from her hospital bed after being stabbed by an antirefugee lunatic).

[...] high-speed rail does require smart governance and collaboration among different agencies and cities, and a comprehensive vision for transportation hubs as public spaces.