Will California build high-speed rail?

In 2008, California voted yes on a $9 billion bond authorization to build the nation's first high-speed railway. The plan is to construct an electric train that will connect Los Angeles with the Central Valley and then San Francisco in two hours and 40 minutes.



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Fact: High-speed rail is starting with an initial 171-mile segment that will extend from Merced to Bakersfield. At the same time, we are continuing to move forward with environmental clearance in Northern California and Southern California to get these project sections ready for construction.

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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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High-speed rail lines are proposed for California, Nevada, Texas, Georgia and the Pacific Northwest, and already under construction in California's Central Valley.

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The passage of Proposition 1A in 2008, followed by the awarding of federal stimulus funds in 2010, established the initial funding for the California High-Speed Rail system. Construction contracts began to be awarded in 2013, and the groundbreaking ceremony for initial construction was held on January 6, 2015.

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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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Highways (as well as aviation) became the focus of infrastructure spending, at the expense of rail. This trend has continued, and not the least because highways require continuous maintenance, while the US's growing population demands more lanes and roads to relieve congestion.

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Structures complete/in progress are at 74% for 2022, projected 86% in 2023. Miles of guideway complete/in progress is at 74% in 2022, projected 81% in 2023.

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A story of US transportation Highways (as well as aviation) became the focus of infrastructure spending, at the expense of rail. This trend has continued, and not the least because highways require continuous maintenance, while the US's growing population demands more lanes and roads to relieve congestion.

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In 2008 when voters approved the bond measure for the train, the cost to connect the 500-mile span would be around $33 billion. Today, the whole 500-mile system would cost a grand total of $128 billion. That price tag has left state officials scratching their heads to bridge that $100 billion funding gap.

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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.

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As of February 2021, the state of California has spent approximately $4.3 billion on the high-speed rail project that was planned to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. However, it is important to note that the project is not entirely dead but has faced significant delays, cost overruns, and scaled-down plans.

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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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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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It Won't Help and May Hurt the Economy. Studies have found that high-?speed trains can generate new economic development near the stations where the trains stop. However, the same studies show that economic development slows in communities not served by such trains.

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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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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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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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Trains are Reliable and Stress Free With high-speed rail, train travel is always faster than driving. In many cases, it's even faster than flying, once you factor in the whole air travel song-and-dance. And if you do need to catch a plane, trains make it easier to get to the airport.

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High-speed rail is generally regarded as the pinnacle of attractive and green transportation. But all too often, it makes train travel more expensive and less flexible. In the end, costly high-speed lines may just push more people into cars.

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