California is set to build the first 250 miles of its bullet train track between San Jose and Bakersfield, not Burbank and Fresno as originally planned.
by Madeleine Turner
February 23rd—California will build the first 250 miles of its bullet train track between San Jose and Bakersfield, not Burbank and Fresno as originally planned, the San Jose Mercury News reported on Feb. 18.
Starting the project in the north will be cheaper. Unlike the southern segment, it won’t require expensive feats of engineering, namely tunneling through and passing over the Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountain ranges. The LA Times reports “getting even a portion of this project built early will help its political survival.” Governor Jerry Brown hopes that starting in San Jose will draw private investors.
The $64 billion project is already 2 ½ years behind schedule. The state’s leading management contractor, Parsons Brinckerhoff, estimated in 2013 that building track between Merced and the San Fernando Valley would cost $40 billion, $9 billion more than an initial estimate. The state won’t have more than $15 billion ready to funnel into the project by 2022, when the train is supposed to run.
Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee believes “the chances [that the project] comes to pass may be less than 50-50.” But if it does, what would that mean for the state? Yes, a train traveling up to 220 mph would make it possible to see Hollywood and the Winchester House (both mysteries) in one day. But it might also provide better options for countless commuters.
Rod Diridon, past chairman of California High-Speed Rail Authority, tells Mercury News, "Eventually it will go through, undoubtedly because it's really necessary, and L.A. County and city will not stand for them being left out.”
Here’s a thought to revel in: if Diridon is right, by 2029, millions of people could day-trip across our state by rail, traveling from San Jose to Los Angeles in less than three hours. This would mean picking up Psycho Donuts for breakfast and slurping Orochon Ramen for lunch. Politics aside, that would be great.
