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Is California getting a high-speed rail?

The California High-Speed Rail is tentatively planned to open in 2030, operating the large middle section in the Central Valley which will connect Merced to Bakersfield along a 171-mile track.



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The rail authority said the goal is to have the section between Bakersfield and Merced operational between 2030 and 2033. CNBC visited California's Central Valley, where construction is underway, to find out what it will take to complete the nation's largest infrastructure project. Watch the video for the full story.

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California's plan is to build an electric train that will connect Los Angeles with the Central Valley and then San Francisco in two hours and 40 minutes. But 15 years later, there is not a single mile of track laid, and executives involved say there isn't enough money to finish the project.

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The plan to build a high-speed train that will connect Las Vegas with Southern California took another important step this month. The massive transportation project by Brightline could begin as soon as this year, with an estimated completion plotted for around 2027.

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California High-Speed Rail, the most ambitious public transportation project in the state's history, is still miles away from being completed, despite decades of discussion and nearly ten years of construction.

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CLIMATEWIRE | The first U.S.-made high-speed bullet trains will start running as early as 2024 between Boston, New York and Washington, with the promise of cutting transportation emissions by attracting new rail passengers who now drive or fly.

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This chart displays the Breakeven Analysis on Phase 1 of the high-speed rail system assuming the horizon year of 2040, showing a 99.4 percent probability that Phase 1 would be profitable between $0 to $5.7 billion and a 0.6 percent chance of deficit between $220 million and 0.

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CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL WILL fundamentally transform how people move around the state, spur economic growth, create a cleaner environment, and preserve agricultural lands and natural habitat – and it has already created thousands of good-paying jobs.

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How long would it take a bullet train to get from New York to California? If it were like the high speed trains in China, it would run around 300 km/hr. It's about 4500 km from LA to NY, so 15 hours, assuming no stops.

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China initially relied on high-speed technology imported from Europe and Japan to establish its network. Global rail engineering giants such as Bombardier, Alstom and Mitsubishi were understandably keen to co-operate, given the potential size of the new market and China's ambitious plans.

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Funding for California high-speed rail has come from the legislative appropriation of state special funds and from federal competitive grants. No funding comes from traditional state sources, such as the gas taxes or general fund dollars.

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Calvin Yang. Indonesia's high-speed railway, a delayed multibillion-dollar project backed by China, is unlikely to be profitable, said observers, citing the line's far-out station locations and the high maintenance costs expected in future.

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Property rights. One of the most expensive parts of building new rail lines these days is securing land along a relatively straight path (you can't run trains at high speeds along too sharp a curve). The U.S. has strong property rights which makes securing land exceedingly expensive.

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High-speed trains are European-standard high-speed inter-city trains, capable of typical ground speeds of 250 kph (or 155 mph). They currently run between Moscow, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Nizhny Novgorod. These trains are called Sapsan within Russia, or Alstom on the Helsinki – St.

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The Great Depression of the 1930s forced some railroad companies into bankruptcy, creating hundreds of miles of disowned and subsequently abandoned railway properties; other railroad companies found incentive to merge or reorganize, during which excess or redundant rights-of-way were abandoned.

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The operating speed of the train is 240 km/h (150 mph). The Toki Shinkansen takes you from Tokyo to Niigata in just over an hour and a half. All trains of this category offer reserved, non-reserved, and Green Class seats.

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Japan: L0 Series Maglev (374 mph) Although not yet in regular service, this Japanese train, which is currently being developed and tested by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), holds the land speed record for rail vehicles, clocking in at 374 mph.

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Inflation and higher construction costs have contributed to the high price tag. The project has spent $9.8 billion so far, according to Brian Kelly, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. We knew we've had a funding gap ever since the project started, Kelly said.

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