The one thing I think many people are forgetting here is that without the Valley vote, the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century (Proposition 1A) in November 2008 would not have passed. As it was, the bond measure passed but only by a narrow margin. It’s no coincidence that Bakersfield, Fresno, Madera and Merced are all getting high-speed-rail train stations. I’m pretty sure each of these cities voted in favor.

As to the two-hour-forty minute time schedule speci…