Will there ever be high-speed rail in California?

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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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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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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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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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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The all-electric train will connect a station in Apple Valley, east of the city of LA, to Las Vegas along Interstate 15. The 218-mile trip will take about 85 minutes on a train that will have a cruising speed of 200 miles per hour.

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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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The Acela is the Fastest Train in the USA The fastest train in North America is the Acela which hits 150 mph in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

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Rendering of a train car for the California High-Speed Rail project. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has been awarded more than $200 million from the Biden Administration in what is one of the largest pieces of federal funding awarded to the project in its history.

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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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Americans really want high-speed rail. According to a new survey from the American Public Transportation Association, 62 percent of the 24,711 adults surveyed said they would probably or definitely use high-speed rail if it were an option. 11 percent said that they would definitely or probably not use the service.

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The Little Engine That Couldn't: California's High-Speed Rail Costs Rise To $200 Million Per Mile. California's high-speed rail (HSR) pencils out to around $200 million per mile for the San Francisco–Los Angeles route.

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Amtrak estimates that it would cost $500 million per mile to turn its Northeast Corridor route into a true high-speed system. At these prices, it would cost at least $1 trillion to build a national HSR system, and likely much more. High-speed rail is the “fetch” of transportation ideas.

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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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