The high-speed rail drama continues in California. To add to the high speed rail project’s woes, it turns out that California voters, having by now realized that they were snookered back in 2008, when they voted for a $9 billion high-speed railroad between Los Angeles and San Francisco — a project whose estimated cost zoomed up to $98 billion but has now been scaled back to $65 billion — have now turned against it, and by a large majority, are opposed to building it, particularly at this time when the state is flat-broke. See Ralph Vartabedian, Voters Have Turned Against California Bullet Train, Poll Shows, L. A. Times, June 3, 2012 — click here . Most Californians would like to see another referendum on the “bullet train” project, and if it took place, 59% of them would vote “No.”
And that isn’t all. Yesterday’s L. A. Times brought the news that the high-speed project is (predictably) being hit with several lawsuits demanding that the start of construction be enjoined, on the grounds, among others, that its environmental report is flawed. See Dan Weikel and Ralph Vartabedian, Bullet Train Hit With a Double Blow, L.A. Times, June 2, 2012, at p. AA1 — click here.. To add to this project’s woes, the Orange County Transportation Board has weighed in, pointing out that the priority in giving California a viable north-south railroad should be to close the gaps in the existing line, build up ridership, and then capitalize on it by adding a high speed railroad. It turns out that the existing north-south railroad has gaps between Palmdale and Bakersfield, so that if you want to go from Los Angeles to Oakland by rail (there is no railroad to San Francisco) you have to go as far as Palmdale, then take a bus to Bakersfield, and then do it again between Stockton and Oakland — all of which makes the trip last some nine hours, as compared to one hour by plane.
While all this is going on, the State if facing a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, which Governor Jerry Brown wants to close by asking Californians to vote for a tax increase.
Stay tuned.