Saturday, March 10, 2018

Update On Governor Moonbeam's Bullet Train -- One Can Read The Writing On The Wall -- Simply Pouring Money Down A Hole -- March 10, 2018

Updates to the California Bullet Train are tracked here

This was the last update regarding the proposed "bullet train" between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
From The St Louis Dispatch, January 16, 2018:
  • estimated cost for first phase climbed by 35% this week to $10.6 billion
  • first phase: 119 miles; Central Valley
  • entire project now projected at $67 billion; when voters approved project in 2008, project estimated to cost $40 billion
That was just two months ago. Wow. Now, today, this update from The Los Angeles Times:
  • the price of the California bullet train project jumped sharply
  • the headline: the total cost is now projected to be $77.3 billion
  • in fact, it's worse -- that's just low-balling; the "PR" folks didn't want to headline the fact that the "final" bill could be as high as $98.1 billion, which, of course, rounded is $100 billion
  • state population: 40 million 
  • still only $2,500 per each California legal resident
Date of completion:
  • partial operation: no sooner than 2029 -- four years later than the previous projection
  • segment from San Francisco to Bakersfield (are you kidding?)
  • full system not operational until 2033
The only question Californians have: how much money will be spent on this project before it's finally scrapped?

If you read the article, that's essentially what the writer is asking.
 

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