“Except neither can afford fair price for farmlands.”
In California the initial French plan included an alignment on the west side of Interstate Five which is almost all state-owned land or else inexpensive dry scrub land.
Almost no farmland at all was to have been impacted by that proposal...of course that also meant that the Democrats wouldn’t be able to scheme their way into big bucks as the government bought up their land.
they bought 25% of the first 30 miles of 300+ miles necessary.
fail rail