It seems a little odd that a private concern can build high speed rail in Florida between Orlando and West Palm Beach in as little as 3 years but California and the feds cant even get high speed rail between Bakersfield and Merced in a decade. The rail line in Florida runs though a very population dense area and the California line runs through mainly farm land. It almost seems as though California doesn’t really want to finish construction. I wonder why that is? /s
I think, they actually want the rail, but they are just such luddites, they passed so many “environmental protection” laws, native protection laws, and milliard of similar laws, that they tight themselves into a knot of their own making.
You actually hit on something - the private interests can probably work around those laws sometimes, but government must follow their laws. They have to cover their butts so they can enjoy their plush retirements.