As predicted, the California Bullet Train has been a total waste of Tax payer money (Sacramento, leader)

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Why not do it as FL is?

First look: New Florida passenger train unveiled

Private Corp doing it, not the State.

Some neat pictures on the site.

Are you kidding me? California allowing the private sector to take the lead? They'd either tax to death any private company attempting to do it, or strangle them with regulatory burdens.

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OP is not acknowledging the deliberate Republican obstructionism that has caused the project to go way over budget.

What Republican obstructionism? California is a one party state, the assembly has a super-majority for crying out loud.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by CaliRestoration

Also keep this in mind.

Jerry Brown came out AGAINST better oversight on high speed rail spending:
Gov. Brown vetoes bill aimed at improving bullet train oversight - LA Times

Moon Beam doesn't think government should be accountable for taking care of your taxpayer dollars.

Not exactly, he stated that believed that there was already adequate oversight

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

Not exactly, he stated that believed that there was already adequate oversight

With all the cost over runs??????

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by CaliRestoration

That's easy, the Federal government isn't idiots.
When California Democrat politicians say, "Hey look at what we've TRIED to accomplish with the rail project, now give us the grants you promised us!" The Feds respond, [color="Red"]"Uh, you guys haven't done ****. The project is a total disaster. These grants are predicated on PROGRESS not EFFORT."
Then California democrats respond,"Wahhh wahhh. Give us the hundreds of millions you promised! At least we're trying!" Ad infinitum.

So you respond by just making stuff up?

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

So you respond by just making stuff up?

Umm, no. That's literally what happened. Do you know how Federal grants actually work? No, I didn't think so.

I've been a principal on a $6 million dollar grant from the Federal government. I think I know a lot more than you do on how they work.

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by expatCA

With all the cost over runs??????

LOL

2sleepy: "They already have adequate oversight."

LA Times: "Cost overruns costing California's BILLIONS of dollars."

You can't make this stuff up.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by eureka1

We are the only so-called First World country with such an outdated train system. Bring on the HSR!!!!

HSR is great if it is utilized in areas where it benefits. Running down the lower population areas of the central valley are a waste. If you live in the Bay area or LA it's just more sensible to take a commuter flight.
Having HSR just for the sake of HSR makes no sense. It would be better to take the money and use it to shore up more important things like Dams etc.

[TheFlats]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Running down the lower population areas of the central valley are a waste.

It's running along 99 though, the highest population corridor outside of Bay/Sac/LA/SD? Or are you just saying you don't want a passenger train to connect the Bay and LA period? Because a ton of people who try to poke holes in various aspects of CAHSR simply don't want to see any money spent on a train line connecting California and don't want to admit it for some reason, so they resort to silly concern trolling with things like cost and oversight.

Does anyone want the rail line to cost an unnecessary amount or have improper oversight? No, it's a silly straw-man argument to pretend otherwise. It's like taxes, no one wants to pay unnecessary taxes, the disagreement comes with how they're collected and spent. And many people don't want a dime spent on the train, period.

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

HSR is great if it is utilized in areas where it benefits. Running down the lower population areas of the central valley are a waste. If you live in the Bay area or LA it's just more sensible to take a commuter flight.
Having HSR just for the sake of HSR makes no sense. It would be better to take the money and use it to shore up more important things like Dams etc.

By current projections, HSR would not recover all of its cost from taxpayers before 2070 (and that's based on if they hit all their deadlines described in 2015).

My guess is that it will be 10-15 years over due, and cost 4-8 times what they "thought" it would cost and the break even point would be somewhere around January 2150.