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Posted on 04/29/2026 10:02:35 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Nothing about California's high speed rail is moving fast, except the price. Just a few weeks ago, the estimated price of the long-delayed project was said to be $126 billion. This figure wasn't hidden in a spreadsheet somewhere, it was stated on a national news program.
This week, we're hearing a new number and it's more than a $100 billion higher.
California’s long-delayed high-speed rail project is now facing renewed scrutiny after state leaders revealed a dramatically higher price tag, now estimated at roughly $231 billion, nearly seven times the original $33 billion projection approved by voters in 2008.
The revised figures have reignited talks in Sacramento over whether the project can realistically be completed, how long it will take, and whether the state can continue to fund it at this scale.
I have to say this again because it's stunning: The price has jumped $105 billion since the estimate given three weeks ago. And despite that, the plan to get this finished, according to the people in charge, is to rely on private funding.
California High-Speed Rail Authority officials say the project’s future depends on attracting private investors and focusing on a broader, more commercially viable vision, connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco.
Who is going to be dumb enough to invest in this boondoggle? I'd like to know because if they have that much cash to burn I'd really like them to fund my backyard rocket to the moon. I'm pretty sure I can get it done for a measly $2 billion. I'll be working alone which should make my progress a bit faster than the entire mass of unionized labor in California.
Senator Tony Strickland sharply criticized the updated costs and timeline, pointing to what he described as a major breakdown in public trust...
“If you’re able to get private sector resources after you continue your project that was supposed to be $33 billion and turned into $231 billion I give you a lot of credit if you’re able to raise a lot of that private capital," Strickland said.
Yeah, I'm sorry but at $231 billion even some Democrats are going to start to realize this is a fantasy the state can't afford. So far, Gov. Newsom, who has been the chief supporter of the project, hasn't commented about the new cost estimate. But I think if he's planning to run for president next year, he may want this albatross off his neck. This really could be the end of the line for this project.
Finally, the SF Chronicle has a story out today which provides a little glimpse into just one of the factors that pushed the price of the high speed rail project higher. You see, California made a special arrangement to have the path of the train circle around an important state monument that couldn't be disturbed: The Cesar Chavez National Monument.
Policymakers from California High-Speed Rail Authority had to get the train through the Tehachapi Mountains, an important, geologically-challenging terrain separating the San Joaquin Valley from the Mojave desert. And they needed to cut a path without causing too much disruption to the Cesar Chavez National Monument, a 187-acre compound, former headquarters of the United Farm Workers and final resting place for the once-celebrated leader...
Originally framed as an act of preservation and a concession to the farmerworkers’ movement, the rerouting has taken on a more fraught meaning. It’s another stark example of how politics and threats of litigation have warped the state’s marquee transportation megaproject...
Through letters and stakeholder meetings, the Chavez Center and Foundation successfully lobbied for a bespoke alignment called the “refined Cesar Chavez National Monument design option,” which moved the track about three-quarters of a mile away from the monument boundary. Shaped as a wide curve rather than a straight line, the route would pass over viaducts and access roads and through two tunnels, each one longer than a mile and a half.
To build it, the authority would need more track, more tunneling, and — on top of everything — a massive dirt berm, stretching about 1,700 feet, to conceal the train and blend with the desert hills.
The changes added an estimated $1 billion to the project, all so people walking around the Chavez monument wouldn't be disturbed by the noise. In retrospect, of course, the entire monument to an accused pedophile and rapist seems like a bad idea and few if any people are going to be coming to the spot to revere him.
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The Kalifornia democRATs/DemoKKKrats know that, eventually, the $$$ grift that is The Train To Nowhere will end. They will keep increasing their $$$ questimates & requests for as long as possible.
May this derail Guv NewsCum’s Presidential ambitions!
If there’s no high speed rail being built then it’s not high speed rail funding. How can people be this gullible?
Compare high speed rail construction in 21st century California to high speed rail construction in the 1860’s.
Construction contracts were awarded for the California high speed rail line in 2013 and construction began in 2015. The first phase, which runs from Los Angeles to San Francisco, is planned to be 494 miles in length. To date 119 miles of track have been laid in the first phase. There is no revenue producing train service on completed section of the first phase. Operation is currently planned to begin in 2032. However the completion of phase 1 has not yet been fully funded.
The transcontinental railroad was the high speed rail project of the 19th century. It cut the time required to travel from the eastern states, to the western states, from six months to 2 weeks. It was built in six years from 1863 to 1869. Commercial traffic began as sections were completed. The route was 1911 miles long and passed through rugged mountains and deserts. None of the heavy mechanized earth moving equipment of today existed in the 1860’s. The diesel engine, which powers modern earth moving equipment, was not patented until 1892.
Zero miles of track have been laid. Out of those 119 miles, there are 80 miles of concrete guideway plus bridges and viaducts. The rest is dirt. Zero miles of track.
The changes added an estimated $1 billion to the project,
Really? $230b-$1b is $229b...where da money at?
Maybe they should just incorporate a stop at the memorial...
Funny how they blow past the fact they are/were only authorized to spend $33b...Da HELL wid you voters...you said yes to the rail construction...
What a deal!
California punts on high-speed rail plan as furor grows over new $231B price tag
The idea floated by Williams comes as Newsom has supported legislation that would shield the cost of the train.
Eye-popping price tag for detour around Cesar Chavez gravesite adds to California high-speed rail humiliation
Hey, the CA rat party needs money, so why not enrich their favorite laundromat.
This is actually hilarious. This project has been going on since 2008 full project now estimated to be complete by 2033 (according to Google).
The Trans Continental rail road 1900 miles and took six years to complete. With today’s modern and very fast construction equipment as well as manufacturing techniques, one would think the Kalifornia boondoggle should only take a decade or so.
I would make any rail-associated company tax-free.
I would call this new program, "Trails to Rails".
It would have been cheaper to put 100 30-seat commuter planes in action and not charge for the ride....
Construction began - 2000.
Final Mileage (Current Estimate) - 116 miles.
Current inflation adjusted total cost estimate - $1.13 billion per mile.
Current Users - 15%-17% of all transit trips.
Some years ago. we had to take the train in Seattle from the train station downtown to the airport. The reserved train to Chicago was not running
The local train required coins which we lacked.
I put a $20 into the machine and requested change for the ticket vending machine. I was treated to some noise and an outpouring of $1 Sakawega coins.
Seattle is stylish to a fault.
But think of all the money you will save by not driving or flying a couple hundred miles.
I believe the transport stuff is irrelevant..The lefties on the West coast are just embarrassed they are behind the times with the Euros they worship, the Japanese who have out thought them and the Chinese who have outdone all the rest.
California et al does not have what the rest of the world has...... very fast trains.
The fact that Californians would not ride them is not relevant. Not having is just unacceptable
This is how CaCaLand funds DNC campaigns. It will not end so long as the FED gives the state so much as a penny for ANYTHING. All incoming $$ are considered fungible. No such thing as targeted spending. It all goes into a big bag and then is doled out along political lines. No one bothers to even audit.
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