California Hits the Brakes on High-Speed Rail Fiasco

[RME_SFC]

102. I would love to have High Speed Rail...

I would love to have an efficient, more eco-friendly, lower cost (for travelers) form of transportation to move individuals around the state, or even regionally. This particular project isn't it.

In my opinion; California (and HSR in general) would have been better served had they planned a less ambitious project. Were I in charge of dreaming this up (and there are multitudes of reasons why I should never be), I think I would've presented a Los Angeles to Vegas route. While I am not an engineer of any sort, it would appear to me that this route would be more easily and much more quickly constructed. It would be a route that many in the general public would opt to use and potentially held up as an example of how well HSR could work. Routes from other population centers could then ran to central link somewhere in the middle. I don't really know... just a thought.


I believe that the article (opinion) in the OP cited this article:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-bullet-train-subsidies-20160609-snap-story.html

There are multiple articles and opinions that state; with a few different views/slants, that the information regarding costs and timelines were at best were exuberantly overoptimistic and at worst knowingly and fraudulently manipulated to deceive the public.

I think a serious legislative look and inquiry should be done. A committee/board could review the expenditures so far, bonafide construction proposals, cost and time projections etc. Then they could make the determination if the project should proceed as planned, route/approach be altered, or that even with the money already spent, the public would be better served if the money were to redirected to other transportation projects and initiatives.

My thoughts... but I have been wrong plenty of times.

*edited to add some missing words :/