$100 billion over budget. 13 years late.

Photo above - Thomas the Tank Engine reacts after hearing his tracks could cost $260 million per mile . . .

Roll the clock back to 2008. California voters excitedly sign up for a $30 billion high speed rail line to link San Francisco and Los Angeles. To be completed in 2020, at a leisurely pace. What could go wrong? Well, just about everything . . . see the link below.

Who HASN’T drooled in envy at those Tik Tok and You Tube Chinese propaganda videos of their high-speed rail service? The bullet trains which link vacant “new cities” with . . . well, someplace. If China can do it, so can we! Someone probably owuld like to spend 3 hours on a 200 mph (theoretically) train between SF and LA, instead of flying in half the time.

The silver lining is that the 2020 completion date has been pushed back to . . . wait for it . . . 2033. From 2008 concept to 2033 completion is a quarter century. Let's note that after 17 years there is still not a single mile of operational track. So, completing the whole route by 2033 seems fantastically optimistic. As does the revised price tag of $130 billion – four times the original estimate.

I dare you to guess the cost per mile. Okay, I’ll do the math for you. $260 MILLION PER MILE. If there are no more cost overruns, or cancelled routes. One of the routes in question was a high speed link to take LA residents on weekend gambling junkets to Las Vegas. But you know, everyone can gamble right at home if they have FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365, Bet MGM, Bet Rivers, etc. Think of all the pristine wilderness that will be preserved, if they don't build the gambler's express.

But still, even at $130 billion, this futuristic bullet train will save money, right? Um . . . it gets complicated here. Although there are airfares as low as $49 between LA and SF, let’s use the $100 average ticket cost. At that price 1.3 billion passengers would have to persuaded to use the train instead of flying. 1.3 BILLION with a B. But there are only 2 million who fly this route annually. It would take 650 years of high-speed train travel between the 2 cities to reach 1.3 billion passengers.

Before any federal subsidies.

I don’t agree with everything that Trump has de-funded, but this fantastically expensive toy train set would be high on the list of stuff we can't afford. And Trump just pulled the plug. Governor Newsom still wants it, and is threatening to sue the president. But California might have to pay for its own toy trains.

If the suit actually takes place, I guess the case will come down to whether or not some judge had a toy train in set in their basement growing up.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

The $130 billion train that couldn’t - The Spectator World

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jehova · 36-40, M

That price tag is unfathomable. Indeed the goal to reduce traffic congestion? In LA especially thatd be ideal. And the need\demand for local stops would suggest a 50 mile per hour train would be better and more affordable. Also more functional Commutter rail long island railroad style? Too much too fast. California, the west coast ,America, and politicains simply havent learned the age old lesson. "Slow and steady". Reality is Not superman "fast as a bullet$". Instead too expensive to work! And bound to fail.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@jehova i personally don't know anyone who has driven the 500 miles from San Francisco to LA. Possibly actor James Dean, and he died ruing the attempt in his Porsche.

jehova · 36-40, M

@SusanInFlorida actually my father and i drove from albany ny to san franscisco to visit ny sister in 2001. During that trip we also drove san fransisco to LA then to mexico.
It was a once in a lifetime trip. But yea few do it. What its 500 miles san fran to la?

jehova · 36-40, M

@SusanInFlorida and we drove to hyder alska just to do it.

jehova · 36-40, M

Answer passenger gliders like anceint egypt had. 50 people in a 100 foot long passenger glider 1 carryon
only. Exact weight?, idk. So on an inclined plane the bird shaped glider is pulled back by camel with elastic around its base on rollers (wheels). Pull it back to its max let go and bam 50 to 200 miles by "elastic band" gliders.

SW-User

Oh absolutely, let’s all mourn the tragic saga of California’s “toy train set,” a $130 billion exercise in futility clearly masterminded by people who once had Lionel sets in their basements and never emotionally moved on. Remember 2008? The public naively voted for a bold, modern transportation project. What fools! thinking America could build infrastructure like those scary Chinese propaganda trains that actually work.

And let’s marvel at the horror of $260 million per mile. It’s not like roads, bridges, or airports cost billions or anything. But no, this train—this train!!!—has personally offended fiscal sensibility by daring to exist. And yes, 1.3 billion passengers must ride it to make it “worth it,” because God forbid we consider broader benefits like reduced emissions, congestion relief, or, you know, transportation options. Only raw ticket math counts. Just like no one builds parks, schools, or public libraries unless they generate quarterly profits #amiright?

Let’s not forget the Central Valley segment, 119 miles of active construction, employing thousands,doesn’t “count” because it's not a literal operational joyride yet. Therefore, obviously, the entire effort is imaginary. Oh, and the Las Vegas train? That’s a separate, privately funded project, but sure, let’s shoehorn that in too, just for flavor.

And how dare Governor Newsom continue the project after Trump nobly tried to kill it—does he not know the sacred rule that infrastructure must never exceed its initial cost estimate?

So yes, burn it all down! Buses, budget airlines and soaring transport emissions forever!! Dreaming big is so passé.

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SW-User

@Patriot96 Oh yes, because obviously Pete Buttigieg personally funneled $80 billion into DEI workshops instead of upgrading our 1960s radar systems. Except he didn’t, and that number’s wildly exaggerated. But hey, why let facts ruin your impotent "rebuttal"?

Never mind that Congress controls the budget or that ATC modernization has been underfunded for decades. Sure, let’s pretend it's all because of pronouns. Next up: how potholes are secretly caused by diversity programs. Groundbreaking stuff. 👏

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@SW-User so to sum up . . . you think $260 million per mile for a train which earn back it's capital cost for centuries is an acceptable use of taxpayer dollars.

i doubt if actual taxpayer agree. see if you can find any. Now that the cost overruns are revealed.

SW-User

@SusanInFlorida Yes yes of course, absolutely! Let’s ignore the small matter of public good, because really, who cares about things like reduced emissions, reduced congestion, or improved transportation options for future generations? Let’s just focus on the "650 years" part. Sure, $260 million per mile sounds outrageous until you consider that roads, bridges, and airports cost billions and also have lifespans measured in centuries. But no one questions them because they’re not as "fun" to hate on. And we know how much you love to hate California liberals.

And “revealed cost overruns” ... are you sure? Because infrastructure projects, especially big ones, often face these hurdles. It’s a feature, not a bug. But hey, let’s scrap this entirely future-facing project because it’s behind schedule and over budget; what could possibly go wrong with just sticking to the status quo? (P.S. I’m sure all those taxpayers just love endless traffic and polluted skies!)

Kypro · 51-55, M

Trump just added $3 Trillion to our debt.

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Kypro · 51-55, M

@Patriot96 ok troll

Patriot96 · 56-60, C

@Kypro oh guru of finance, please tell us where he added the trillions

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