Oh, I didn't realize we were also talking about California High Speed Rail. The more you know about the details for that project the worse the project appears to be. Voters were promised a straight shot, Los Angeles to San Francisco, with eventual extension to San Diego and Sacramento, total SF to LA cost $33 Billion. What we are getting is Bakersfield to Merced, with 3 intermediate stops. All of those stops are as you described above. The CAHSR will only reach top speed between Bakersfield and Tulare - a distance of 63 miles. If it ever completes the segment between Los Angeles and Anaheim (both stations are already complete-ish), it will have an average speed of only 45 mph for that stretch. Station work for the initial operating segment is not even scheduled to begin until 2028 - no tracks, no trains until years after that. Good news! It's all under budget. Oh, no, wait a minute - check that, it's on target to be OVER budget >$100 BILLION - assuming it ever gets built.
Another fun game with this project - the contractor for the initial segment knew for a fact that the right of ways, easements and permitting was not done. What did he do? He immediately mobilized every piece of equipment he could, then filed millions in claims because his work was being delayed. He was not wrong, and he did get paid.
Did I mention the CAHSR is being built on an EXISTING AMTRAK route? That's right - you can already take a train on the very same route. The big, signature structures they have already built are largely grade separations to go over and around this existing rail line.