Gov. Newsom Pulls the Plug on California’s Costly Bullet Train Boondoggle

Newsom said Tuesday in his State of the State address it "would cost too much and take too long" to build the line long championed by his predecessor, Jerry Brown. Latest estimates pin the cost at $77 billion and completion in 2033.

Newsom says he wants to continue construction of the high-speed link from Merced to Bakersfield in California's Central Valley. He says building the line could bring economic transformation to the agricultural region.

And he says abandoning that portion of the project would require the state to return $3.5 billion in federal dollars.

Newsom also is replacing Brown's head of the board that oversee the project and is pledging to hold the project's contractors more accountable for cost overruns.

Whatever may come next, this is happy news for most California citizens. Voters approved a ballot initiative in 2008 that set aside a $10 billion bond to begin the project of building a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco with the promise that more funding would come through from the feds or from private sources, that the train would not require subsidies to operate, and that it would help fight climate change.

But it didn't take long for all those claims to be shown as unlikely, especially the costs. President Barack Obama's administration did provide $3.5 billion in stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but the project otherwise saw little additional outside financial support. The train's cost ballooned from $64 to $77 billion (and it would likely end up well over $100 billion if actually completed). The construction on the first leg began in the middle of California, near Fresno, and it wouldn't even link Los Angeles to San Francisco until 2029

https://reason.com/blog/2019/02/12/gov-newsom-pulls-the-plug-on-californias?fbclid=IwAR030-aM3gtDBOnadnRvZECZMlboJiRTK09gvkyi7qKRFRWreIuwNJTFcZo


Days after AOC came out with her plan to replace all air travel with high speed trains, California finally gave up on their disaster.

That was a shit ton of money down the drain for basically nothing.

I think that's the state motto of California.

I said it before on your previous thread on "high speed" and "very fast" train services, replacing air travel...

A genuine "national" VFT system needs to be built and managed (and financed) at a national level..

NOT in a state-by-state, ad hoc, piecemeal manner -- leaving individual states vulnerable to this kind of potential economic "disaster".

Much more important in the short term, is that potential and practical 'future transport corridors' are preserved and protected -- and not allowed to fall into the private hands of greedy developers, farmers or industrial estates..

Leave your country's transport future to your beloved "free markets", with it's ruling and manipulative corporatists, oligarchs and their reckless financiers, and then see how long it takes for Amerika's transpprt infrastructure to grind to a halt...

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

I said it before on your previous thread on "high speed" and "very fast" train services, replacing air travel...

A genuine "national" VFT system needs to be built and managed (and financed) at a national level..

NOT in a state-by-state, ad hoc, piecemeal manner --  leaving individual states vulnerable to this kind of potential economic "disaster".

Much more important in the short term, is that potential and practical 'future transport corridors' are preserved and protected --  and not allowed to fall into the private hands of greedy developers, farmers or industrial estates..

Leave your country's transport future to your beloved "free markets", with it's ruling and manipulative corporatists, oligarchs and their reckless financiers,  and then see how long it takes for Amerika's transpprt infrastructure to grind to a halt...  

Dude. California has a larger economy than most countries.

And this disaster had nothing to do with the free market. This was a government disaster funded by the State and the Federal government.

Did they have one group/committe organising and co-ordinating the whole schemozzle...

Or, did they have an endless pot that they kept on throwing the money into --  and then had a thousand different private interests dipping into it  --  with no actual oversight..

How to throw away $$billions$$, and have nothing to show for it at the end of the day.  Except that a few rich people must have grown a little fatter --  that money had to go somewhere..    

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

Did they have one group/committe organising and co-ordinating the whole schemozzle...

Or, did they have an endless pot that they kept on throwing the money into --  and then had a thousand different private interests dipping into it  --  with no actual oversight..

How to throw away $$billions$$, and have nothing to show for it at the end of the day.  Except that a few rich people must have grown a little fatter --  that money had to go somewhere..    

Newsom also is replacing Brown's head of the board that oversee the project and is pledging to hold the project's contractors more accountable for cost overruns.


There was a government board running it.

There is a good reason that Australia, Canada and the US don't have high speed rail. It's way too expensive for our large land masses.

At least Australia and Canada haven't poured billions down the train to connect a few farmers to a major city.

There have been a lot of technical, financial and legal hitches that could have and should have already killed Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed high-speed rail, but we all know hard it is to kill a darling government project no matter how bad it is.

When the project becomes so bad, though, that politicians start seeing it less and less of a darling, that’s when it’s time to start looking for the man in the executioner’s hood. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has pulled his support for the state’s high-speed rail project.

http://reason.com/blog/2014/02/19/et-tu-newsom-is-anybody-left-to-support


5 years ago Newsom knew it was time to pull the plug. This is a liberal democrat saying this.

I suspect that the real reason is that Trump is diverting transportation funds--as well as many other sources--away to build his silly wall, and it's simply a practical matter that cut-backs must be made.

Newsom also followed the New Mexico governor's move and pulled National Guard troops off of Trump's border-watch bullshite.  Newsom is just trying to introduce sense into the dumpster-fire taking place in Washington.

Original Quill wrote:I suspect that the real reason is that Trump is diverting transportation funds--as well as many other sources--away to build his silly wall, and it's simply a practical matter that cut-backs must be made.

Newsom also followed the New Mexico governor's move and pulled National Guard troops off of Trump's border-watch bullshite.  Newsom is just trying to introduce sense into the dumpster-fire taking place in Washington.

Newsom wanted to pull the plug 5 years ago.

Even he knew it was dumpster fire.

Once again you posted before you read.

Can't make informed comments that way comrade.

I suspect that the real reason is that Trump is diverting transportation funds--as well as many other sources--away to build his silly wall, and it's simply a practical matter that cut-backs must be made.

Original Quill wrote:I suspect that the real reason is that Trump is diverting transportation funds--as well as many other sources--away to build his silly wall, and it's simply a practical matter that cut-backs must be made.

It's a state project. What funds the feds gave is being returned.


Do you know how to read?

Maddog wrote:

Original Quill wrote:I suspect that the real reason is that Trump is diverting transportation funds--as well as many other sources--away to build his silly wall, and it's simply a practical matter that cut-backs must be made.

It's a state project. What funds the feds gave is being returned.  

Do you know how to read?

CNBC wrote:According to the audit, the state risks having to pay back as much as $3.5 billion in federal funds on the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles project.

Ignorant redneck. That is what is putting the brakes on the project.

Original Quill wrote:

Maddog wrote:

It's a state project. What funds the feds gave is being returned.  

Do you know how to read?

CNBC wrote:According to the audit, the state risks having to pay back as much as $3.5 billion in federal funds on the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles project.

Ignorant redneck.  That is what is putting the brakes on the project.

Yes, because they are not using that money, as they are not finishing the project.

Should they be allowed to keep money for a project that is cancelled?

You don't even know about the dumpster fires in your own state while you run around here like judgemental fuck.

Maddog wrote:

Original Quill wrote:



Ignorant redneck.  That is what is putting the brakes on the project.

Yes, because they are not using that money, as they are not finishing the project.

Should they be allowed to keep money for a project that is cancelled?

You don't even know about the dumpster fires in your own state while you run around here like judgemental fuck.    

They are not finishing the project because the money is not coming. The cause and effect are reversed.

You need to learn few things about finance.

Original Quill wrote:

Maddog wrote:

Yes, because they are not using that money, as they are not finishing the project.

Should they be allowed to keep money for a project that is cancelled?

You don't even know about the dumpster fires in your own state while you run around here like judgemental fuck.    

They are not finishing the project because the money is not coming.  The cause and effect are reversed.

You need to learn few things about finance.

That's not what your governor said.

Keep digging.

Maddog wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

They are not finishing the project because the money is not coming.  The cause and effect are reversed.

You need to learn few things about finance.

That's not what your governor said.

Keep digging.

You are drawing a distinction without a difference. Typical RW'er, who only understands jingles, not analysis.

When a project is too expensive, it must be shut down. Things can become too expensive as a result of high outflow, or low income. Without Transportation Department funds coming in, the program is too expensive.

Original Quill wrote:

Maddog wrote:

That's not what your governor said.

Keep digging.

You are drawing a distinction without a difference.  Typical RW'er, who only understands jingles, not analysis.

When a project is too expensive, it must be shut down.  Things can become too expensive as a result of high outflow, or low income.  Without Transportation Department funds coming in, the program is too expensive.

That's not what your governor said. Its not what he was saying 5 years ago either.  

Do you even know what is going on in your state? You blather like a teenage girl about other places and yet you cant even converse about the failures in your own backyard.

Maddog wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

You are drawing a distinction without a difference.  Typical RW'er, who only understands jingles, not analysis.

When a project is too expensive, it must be shut down.  Things can become too expensive as a result of high outflow, or low income.  Without Transportation Department funds coming in, the program is too expensive.

That's not what your governor said. Its not what he was saying 5 years ago either.  

Do you even know what is going on in your state? You blather like a teenage girl about other places and yet you cant even converse about the failures in your own backyard.

Waffle.

Original Quill wrote:

Maddog wrote:


That's not what your governor said. Its not what he was saying 5 years ago either.  

Do you even know what is going on in your state? You blather like a teenage girl about other places and yet you cant even converse about the failures in your own backyard.

Waffle.

Why did your governor think it was a bad idea 5 years ago?

Five years ago he was getting drunk and fooking the wife of his Chief-of-Staff, while Mayor of San Francisco. I doubt he was paying attention to speeding trains!

Original Quill wrote:Five years ago he was getting drunk and fooking the wife of his Chief-of-Staff, while Mayor of San Francisco.  I doubt he was paying attention to speeding trains!  

When the project becomes so bad, though, that politicians start seeing it less and less of a darling, that’s when it’s time to start looking for the man in the executioner’s hood. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has pulled his support for the state’s high-speed rail project.

From 5 years ago.

Do you know how to read or use Google?

Maddog wrote:

Original Quill wrote:Five years ago he was getting drunk and fooking the wife of his Chief-of-Staff, while Mayor of San Francisco.  I doubt he was paying attention to speeding trains!  

When the project becomes so bad, though, that politicians start seeing it less and less of a darling, that’s when it’s time to start looking for the man in the executioner’s hood. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has pulled his support for the state’s high-speed rail project.

From 5 years ago.

Do you know how to read or use Google?

Meh...we got bigger fish to fry.

Original Quill wrote:

Maddog wrote:


When the project becomes so bad, though, that politicians start seeing it less and less of a darling, that’s when it’s time to start looking for the man in the executioner’s hood. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has pulled his support for the state’s high-speed rail project.

From 5 years ago.

Do you know how to read or use Google?

Meh...we got bigger fish to fry.

Wrong again eh.

Can't admit it?

Meh...most Californians have their own private aircraft, anyway. The train is the least of our trials and travails.

We got bigger fish to fry.