Posted on 12/14/2014 1:57:22 PM PST by Jim Robinson
The California High-Speed Rail Authority will officially break ground next month in Fresno on construction of its statewide bullet-train route.
The Jan. 6 groundbreaking ceremony, announced Friday afternoon, comes about a year and a half after the agency awarded its first construction contract, a $1 billion deal to design and build the first 29-mile section from Madera to the south end of Fresno...
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California voters approved Proposition 1A, a $9.9 billion bond measure to help finance a high-speed rail system, in November 2008. But it wasn’t until the fall of 2010, when the Obama administration and the Federal Railroad Administration directed more than $3 billion in federal stimulus and transportation grants to California to begin construction...
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Between the federal money and bond funds from Prop. 1A, the rail agency has about $6 billion available to build the backbone of its system from Merced to Bakersfield. But that’s less than 10% of the estimated $68 billion cost to span the statewide system’s first 520-mile phase from Los Angeles to San Francisco by 2028 or 2029...
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Just where the rest of the money will come from is uncertain. While state legislators agreed this fall to allocate 25% of annual cap-and-trade money — funds paid to California by companies for credits to offset their air pollution emissions...
(Excerpt) Read more at fresnobee.com ...
Highspeed exceptin for all the stops it will make on the way. Hitch hiking will end up faster.
It’s a good thing California is both rolling in wisely saved reserves, and has no other pressing public works needs, such as a shortage of fresh water. Together these fortunate circumstances combine to make the rail project a great and timely idea. Bravo!
At $68 per person, its an expensive ride.
Most people will take a car and its faster.
Actually GOP caindate Neil Kardiasan call it Brown Crazy train like Ozzy Osbourne song Crazy train
So pretty soon, all the Bakersfield Freepers can really zip to FR headquarters in Fresno!
You do it yourself without federal approval.
We haven’t gotten federal approval for the new bridge over the Detroit river but the project has been started. Canada is paying the entire cost of building the bridge.
Obama refuses to approve building or funding the customs plaza on this side (its federal infrastructure) unless Snyder gives $100 million of the $250 million asked for to Detroit pension funds. Snyder refused so Obama refused. Snyder said screw em and started the project without approval. We’ll pay ourselves back out of the revenue generated and the feds aren’t going to turn it down once its built. Its the second busiest freight crossing on the continent.
I understand the first part of the line will go from Fresno to Bakersfield.
I can see the long lines of people waiting to get on that run...
How do you spell “boondoggle?”
Who owns the land where the Choo Choo go?
You can fly in less time than it would take to ride the train.
I don’t understand why liberals are enamored with 19th Century technology.
Will it even GET to Corcoran?
Considering cost overruns and various pet projects attached to the overall scheme, it may be years before even a short track will be actually on the ground, and running stock acquired to utilize that track.
The run would scarcely be started before hitting the end of the line. And how much traffic will THAT generate?
I would say a fool and his money are soon parted, but it ain’t his money.
LOL! Funny, in a tragic kind of way.
Watch Jerry Brown find a way to snatch FR World Headquarters by way of imminent domain....
Its being built in a rural area.
In Europe and and Japan HSR runs between highly populated urban corridors in under 4 hours or less.
That doesn’t exist in California.
My sister & her husband will lose about 8 of their 30 acre vineyard just south of Fresno. The rail authority will pay them for the land but is stonewalling on the question of lost future income from those 8 acres...
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