Posted on 05/26/2011 9:31:28 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Rejecting the recommendations of a recent state report, federal officials said Wednesday they cannot postpone the deadline to start construction of California's $43-billion bullet train project or allow the state to move the first leg of the proposed system out of the Central Valley.
U.S. Department of Transportation officials said the 2012 deadline is required by federal legislation that provided about $3.1 billion in funding for the project's initial leg, which, they added, was placed in the state's agricultural heartland after considerable study.
"This shows that we are on the same page as the feds," said Jeffrey Barker, a spokesman for the California High-Speed Rail Authority. "They are saying no to these huge recommendations. This takes them off the table."
Earlier this month, the California Legislative Analyst's Office concluded in a detailed critique that the project was poorly managed, faced potential long-term funding problems and had a governing structure in need of sweeping reform.
Until those issues could be addressed, analysts called on the rail authority to push back its federally required construction deadline and consider relocating the initial segment to a major urban area where there was more potential for trains to run sooner.
Analysts further recommended that the Legislature not spend any more money on the project if the federal government did not allow the changes in the route and construction schedule.
Rail officials plan to build the first section of the 500-mile system between Bakersfield and the tiny town of Borden in Madera County. The initial leg, which would pass through Fresno and Corcoran, has been criticized as a "train to nowhere" because high-speed trains would not operate on it until the route could be extended to major population centers.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Ever wonder why a lot of folks don't even vote anymore..
The Federal Gubamint knows best.
Welcome to the California High-Speed Rail Job uhh,, RailJob thread!
Trains are useful to the point of paying for themselves for a lot of things, but this doesn’t sound like one of those things. More boon in the doggle please, or is that more doggle in the boon?
Duh!
Will this be "The Train to Nowhere"?
If a ‘bullet-train’ were to be constructed in Washington, DC, would it have to be called a ‘wizard-train’?
What’s a railjob? Is that like running the scoundrel out of town on a rail?
THE TRAINS WILL RUN. ON. TIME!!!
Ve haff relocations to be performed, ja?
No! It will be called the “Slum Train”.
Their choo-choo train will cost a trillion dollars, and most of it will go into the pockets of racial entrepreneurs.
Thank goodness our federal government is running such big surpluses that we can contribute $3 billion for a high-speed rail to nowhere in the central valley of California. Is this a great country or what? /s
“All abord Obama’s bullet train to bankruptcy” Palin
This is another part of the UN Agenda 21 Wildlands, Gateway projects. These are rail/port projects that are to be built all around the world, often meeting with a lot of opposition.
The Republican Maine Governor pulled the plug on the Gateway project in his state by pulling all state funding. The project in Lisbon, Spain is meeting with similar oppositon and the voters in California already killed the bulk terminal that BNSF and Goldman Sachs wanted to build in N. California.
They aren’t taking any chance in WA State and have somehow secured the support of more Republicans than Democrats. Patty Murray, Susan Collins and Dick Durbin have proposed another bill to fund the rest of the projects, including the purchase of land (eminent domain). I’m told that it has little chance of passing Congress, but stranger things have happened and there is always the executive order.
I have always wanted to visit Corcoran. I hear that the summer heat is lovely there. I can go visit the sights there and see the prison where Charles Manson lives. /s
I have a better idea. Lets work to change the size of people and they can just ride a bullet!!! Maybe cheaper!
high speed rail works in japan and to a certain extent, other smaller countries.
subway is also fantastic in big cities.
BUT i do not think bullet train will work in the US. and same goes for subways in some of the US cities. I like the subways in NYC, Boston, and DC, but the subway in st.louis feels ‘dead’.
It's a matter of population density. Some cities, some regions, some countries, have it. Most don't.
In 95% of the USA bullet trains and subways are square pegs trying to find a square hole.
And, it IS nowhere.
What a disgusting waste of money.
I grew up in western Madera county. Borden is a railroad signal and maybe a cantina or two.
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