Can the Bullet Train Get Back on Track?

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Governor Brown and other officials gave California's High-Speed Rail project a morale boost on Tuesday with a groundbreaking in Fresno.  Critics say there's no way it'll ever reach expectations: a two-hour 40-minute ride from LA to San Francisco by 2028 at a cost of $68 billion. But, whatever it ends up costing, whatever the time required, Brown called it an obligation to future generations — like the cathedrals of Europe. There's no doubt it will be the most expensive public works project in state history — if it's ever completed.

In 2008, Californians approved $9 billion to begin building a high-speed railway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. But since then, the total projected cost has ballooned to $68 billion — dwarfing any other public works project in state history. Construction in the Central Valley has faced a multitude of obstructions, and public support has dwindled statewide. Today, Governor Brown presided over a symbolic groundbreaking in Fresno, responding to critics by comparing the project to the cathedrals of Europe, which took generations to be completed.

Photo: Governor Brown and other officials at California’s High-Speed Rail project groundbreaking in Fresno, January 6, 2015 (Saul Gonzalez)

Credits

Guests:

Host:

Warren Olney

Producers:

Katie Cooper, Sonya Geis