Will California Ever See High ‐​Speed Rail?

Marc JoffeAs California State Senators learned on March 28, the state ’s high‐​speed rail project is continuing to disappoint. Expected ridership is declining, costs are rising, and the service inception date is falling back.Reacting to the new projections, Lou Thompson, Chair of the independent California High ‐​Speed Rail Peer Review Grouptold legislators:Given what we know of the project today, and given the financial demands facing the State, the Legislature may want to commission an independent review of the economic and financial justification for the project, including the ability to operate without subsidy as required by Proposition 1A, before recommitting to the full Phase I  system.As a  reminder of just how far the situation has deteriorated from what voters were told when they ratified a high‐​speed rail bond measure back in 2008, we’ve prepared this visualization.While cost overruns are common in government infrastructure projects, the schedule deterioration is the most frustrating. By now we were expecting a  fast trip from the Bay Area to Los Angeles and Anaheim. Instead, no track has been laid and we’re now told to expect service along a third of the original route sometime between 2030 and 2033.And there are good reasons to believe that service will start much later than 2033, if it starts at all. First, the Legislative Analyst Office hasdetermined that the High Speed Rail Authority will not have enough money to complete the 171 ‐​m...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs