I'm glad you posted the above. I was going to post it tonight.
Positives
1. I'm glad Sacramento's leaders are finally stepping-up. They have been absent regarding the subject far too long.
2. We all know once High Speed Rail gets going between LA and SF; it will be another 25yrs before they connect Sac to the network, so in the meantime, this Sac-Stk-Merced-Livermore ("SacMerMore") electric train gives us a better alternative other then relying on amtrak to connect us with Merced and therefore the whole High Speed Rail network.
Negatives
1. If this "SacMerMore" electric train is successful then the High Speed Rail leaders may feel it isn't necessary to truly connect Downtown Sac with the network because the "SacMerMore" train is sufficient.
2. On the other hand, (you have five fingers), if the "SacMerMore" train is not successful then the High Speed Rail leaders may feel it isn't worth the cost to connect Downtown Sac.