High Speed Rail in California hits a pot hole

[theprestige]

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to remind us that reality has a liberal bias, and that CHSR is actually on time and under budget because reality says a high speed rail link between SF and LA makes all the sense in the world.

 

[Solitaire]

What reason(s) did they give, in the story?

How do they justify "can't"?

They cite the California Inspector General's July 2026 Report that the project could exhaust its funding resources by December 2027 unless it secures additional funding. (I rather doubt they will find additional funding with the Trump administration not in favor of the project.)



PS: Oh, gee...

California’s High-Speed Rail Hasn’t Laid A Track

The 2008 ballot measure passed narrowly, 52.7% to 47.3%, kick-starting America’s largest active infrastructure project. A legislative bill said it should be completed by 2020, and the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s initial business plan estimated a cost of $33 billion. After years of legal battles, cost overruns, leadership changes and political fights, the price tag is up to $126 billion, with a high estimate of $231 billion, and it isn’t expected to be fully operational until 2040.

 

[Trausti]

It's in explicable that the political class in California is peerlessly inept yet the people of California keep voting for them.

 

[a_unique_person]

It's in explicable that the political class in California is peerlessly inept yet the people of California keep voting for them.

It's not being inept. The reasons are mostly nothing to do with just laying track.

 

[theprestige]

It's not being inept. The reasons are mostly nothing to do with just laying track.

And California is inept at all of them.

 

[Orphia Nay]

And California is inept at all of them.

I think you mean "America".

 

[Trausti]

I think you mean "America".

No. California is unique in its waste and incompetence.

Everything You Need to Know About Brightline’s High-Speed Train Service in Florida

 

[Trausti]

The grift of the California political class knows no equal.

California’s top-paid employee made over $2 million. Here’s what every state worker was paid

 

[a_unique_person]

No. California is unique in its waste and incompetence.

Everything You Need to Know About Brightline’s High-Speed Train Service in Florida

Apples/Oranges. Florida is not a real HSR and the terrain is much flatter.

 

[a_unique_person]

And California is inept at all of them.

It's the biggest economy in the US. It's doing something right.

 

[theprestige]

I think you mean "America".

Please don't try to make me a mouthpiece for your prejudice. If you want something said, say it yourself.

 

[theprestige]

It's the biggest economy in the US. It's doing something right.

Not high speed rail, that's for sure.

 

[Trausti]

It's the biggest economy in the US. It's doing something right.

That's due to its size, historical luck, and geography. Hollywood and Silicon valley were in place long before the current political class took over a generation or so ago. The current political class and its dumb economic policies had nothing to do with their creation. But it does seem that the current political class is bent on their destruction. At some point the excessive regulation, ridiculous taxation, and incompetence is too much. The trend for a long time now is for businesses to leave California. The thing that California does have, though, is geography. Costal California has great weather and the scenery is beautiful. I could understand why people are hesitant to leave that despite enduring the absolute clown show that is California government.

California falls behind Texas in Fortune 500 ranking

 

[theprestige]

California has two or three really good harbors, which guarantees a certain amount of economic action regardless.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

The biggest obstacle is that HSR is a stupid idea to start with, in most cases.
What is needed are commuter trains, and lots of.

 

[Trausti]

The biggest obstacle is that HSR is a stupid idea to start with, in most cases.
What is needed are commuter trains, and lots of.

I dunno. I think it's not a bad notion at all. That the US is top world economy and we can't build top world infrastructure is embarrassing. But, yet, I'm sure we could if we had the political will to get rid of the dross currently in charge.

A company hoping to help California with its high-speed rail built one in North Africa instead, saying the region was ‘less politically dysfunctional’

The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF), a French state-owned railroad operator, came to California in hopes of helping the state build a high-speed rail system from Los Angeles to San Francisco but left for North Africa in 2011 because the region was 'less politically dysfunctional' than the Golden State.

 

[Roger Ramjets]

That's due to its size, historical luck, and geography. Hollywood and Silicon valley were in place long before the current political class took over a generation or so ago. The current political class and its dumb economic policies had nothing to do with their creation. But it does seem that the current political class is bent on their destruction. At some point the excessive regulation, ridiculous taxation, and incompetence is too much.

I see where you're coming from - and it's not pretty. The excessive deregulation, inadequate taxation and incompetence of libertarians never is.

California falls behind Texas in Fortune 500 ranking

As if headquartering the largest number of Fortune 500 companies is the most important thing.

This year, 57 of the top companies are headquartered in Texas, compared with California’s 56. It’s a reversal from two years ago when the Golden State had the pole position.

hardly significant, and even less so when...

California dominates on nearly every other measure: its Fortune 500 companies are the most profitable ($647 billion), most valuable ($20 trillion), and employ more people than any other state (2.8 million workers)

 

[Orphia Nay]

Japan, China, India - all are doing better at HSR than the USA.

 

[theprestige]

Apples/Oranges. Florida is not a real HSR and the terrain is much flatter.

How is a 130 mph commuter train not high speed rail?

 

[theprestige]

Japan, China, India - all are doing better at HSR than the USA.

Japan, sure.

Part of the problem is that the USA doesn't really have much need for HSR, so isn't really trying. The California thing is entirely performative, by and for people who fetishize the idea of high speed rail, rather than people actually trying to make it work.

Which is to say, yes, "America" is "bad at high speed rail". Just not in the ways you might think.