#CALIFORNIA HIGH SPEED RAIL ROUTE FULL#

Public and political outcry caused rail officials to quickly backtrack. In its original 2012 Business Plan, the CHSRA set the price tag at a staggering $98 billion. The Cost: A Moving Targetīefore the 2008 vote on the bond measure, the California High-Speed Rail Authority said: The total cost to develop and construct the entire high-speed train system would be about $45 billion. Proposition 1A also promised voters that the train system would operate without taxpayer subsidies: The planned passenger service by the authority in the corridor or usable segment thereof will not require a local, state, or federal operating subsidy. Soon after voters approved the project, however, cost projections escalated. Many of these details have been changed repeatedly since 2008. The ballot measure contained key details regarding the projects cost, dedicated tracks, trip time, and financing plan. The vote was 53 percent in favor and 47 percent opposed. In November 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, a $9.95 billion bond measure authorizing construction of a high-speed bullet train between downtown San Francisco and the greater Los Angeles area. Californians should reject this unnecessary and expensive boondoggle. The agencys bait-and-switch strategy justifies a statewide vote on whether or not to proceed with the train system.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has won the Independent Institutes first California Golden Fleece ® Award for its lack of transparency and history of misleading the public about key details of the states bullet-train project, which no longer reflect what voters approved in 2008. Single Issues of The Independent Review.International Economics and Development.Extensive reporting by Voice of OC, as well as government audits, have revealed wasteful spending and mismanagement in the program on several levels. “They’ve realized there’s no legacy for the governor.”Ĭalifornia’s $42-billion high-speed rail program has been beset with problems in recent years. “What hit me first about this was the desperation of having a ribbon-cutting shortly before the governor leaves,” said Rich Tolmach of the California Rail Foundation. Others pointedly questioned the governor’s motivation beyond his longtime support for high-speed rail. And, if one of these lighter European designs derails or hits a gravel truck on the tracks, it will be a catastrophe.”

“The difference in the running time compared to conventional equipment might only be a few minutes. “This will not be high-speed rail,” said Jim Mills, a former state senator who helped create commuter rail service between San Diego and Los Angeles. They also note that California must begin work soon on high-speed rail or risk losing $2.25 billion in federal stimulus funds. Skeptics say the plan is unrealistic and a desperate attempt by Schwarzenegger to have some kind of legacy on an issue he has championed. The feds are thus far noncommittal on the idea, saying it warrants further discussion. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood earlier this month. “Californians need to see and experience something that is ‘high-speed-rail’ sooner than 2020,” Schwarzenegger wrote in his proposal, which was sent to U.S. However, transportation officials say it would probably go a bit faster than conventional trains and make the trip between San Diego and Los Angeles in 2 hours and 10 minutes - about 50 minutes faster than driving during peak travel times. The intercity line would go much slower than the proposed 220 mph bullet train. He would like it in place by November, two months before he leaves office. The governor has proposed to the federal government that a demonstration project be set up on the rail link between San Diego and Los Angeles, one of the busiest commuter corridors in the nation. The high-speed rail route between San Diego and Los Angeles would go inland from San Diego to Riverside, Ontario Airport and then into Los Angeles. A high-speed line in Orange County will run only from Anaheim to Los Angeles.

#CALIFORNIA HIGH SPEED RAIL ROUTE FULL#

When the full proposed high-speed rail project is built, it will bypass southern Orange County. Schwarzenegger Wants High-Speed Rail Before He Leaves Office Close

California high speed rail route