MORE ON: high-speed rail

Daily Report: Money and Politics

'Deplorable' comments from bullet train official enrage farmers

August 5, 2011, 12:05 AM
At a Sacramento hearing on high-speed rail, the director of a local farm bureau complained that the California bullet train was being routed through prime agricultural land in the Central Valley without any input from farmers. The official in charge of the $45 billion project was... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Megaprojects like bullet train have big cost overruns, critics say

July 26, 2011, 12:05 AM
Will the $45 billion California bullet train come in under budget? A review of recent international highway, rail and airport megaprojects doesn’t inspire confidence. “Megaproject histories show costs were substantially underestimated,” three Bay Area financial experts... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Prospects dim for billions in federal high-speed rail funding

July 24, 2011, 12:05 AM
WASHINGTON – California’s futuristic plans for 220-mph bullet trains linking the Bay Area with Los Angeles and beyond are facing a moment of truth. Prospects for a $19 billion federal infusion – covering more than 40 percent of a $43 billion system that would be the nation... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

High-speed rail proponents seek ways to salvage project

July 22, 2011, 12:05 AM
The California bullet train project is buffeted by bad news. Downbeat pronouncements regarding its financial prospects. Growing opposition from the very communities the system hopes to serve. Lawsuits, and the threat of more to come. Some proponents of the $45 billion, 800-mile... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

On Peninsula, bullet train’s cost projections scrutinized

July 20, 2011, 12:05 AM
When a route is proposed for the California bullet train, opponents mobilize. In the Central Valley, Kings County farmers are protesting a line that would run through prime agricultural land. In Southern California, the city of Palmdale has sued to force the state High-Speed Rail... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

In Central Valley, high-speed rail opposition runs deep

July 15, 2011, 12:05 AM
The state’s plan to route the California bullet train through some of the richest agricultural land in the Central Valley has encountered intense and unexpected opposition. It even roiled last week’s Kings Fair in Hanford, where the lavender “people’s choice... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Rail authority spends hundreds of millions with little oversight

July 10, 2011, 6:05 AM
California is about to build the largest public works project in the state's history: a system of high-speed, electric passenger trains. And even before a spade of dirt is turned, perhaps late next year, the state will have spent about $630 million. What does California have to show for it... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Experts warn of risks, 'no plan B' for bullet train

July 8, 2011, 12:05 AM
A panel of rail experts has urged state lawmakers to seize their “last available opportunity” to straighten out California’s bullet train project before construction begins next year. In a July 1 letter, the experts warned that the multibillion-dollar project is proceeding... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Bullet train will survive mistakes, advocate says

July 1, 2011, 12:05 AM
California’s $45 billion bullet train “is in trouble because of mistakes,” says the former San Francisco lawmaker who has been a driving force for the project for nearly two decades. But the mistakes are “not uncorrectable” and are not “particularly... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

State treasurer worries about bullet train’s finances

June 28, 2011, 12:04 AM
California’s vision for an 800-mile bullet train system is bold and appealing, but the project’s finances aren’t penciling out, the state’s top financial official warns. In an interview with California Watch, state Treasurer Bill Lockyer said the state’s $45... + read more
Spotlight: Money and Politics

High-speed rail plan draws analysts’ concern over costs, projections

June 24, 2011, 3:45 PM
Public records show that the state High-Speed Rail Authority, the agency spearheading the bullet train, is plunging forward despite repeated warnings that it may be tens of billions of dollars short of the money needed to build and operate the system. + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Will Californians, like the Spanish, ride the bullet train?

June 21, 2011, 12:05 AM
Financial worries are driving the debate over California’s bullet train project: Will the state find the tens of billions of dollars needed to build an 800-mile high-speed rail system? The state High-Speed Rail Authority puts the price tag at $45 billion. Last month, the nonpartisan... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Bumpy start for high-speed rail in California

June 5, 2011, 12:05 AM
FRESNO – The plan for high-speed rail in California is to start on the Fresno side of the San Joaquin River, between Bakersfield and Chowchilla, and go until the money runs out. The Central Valley is for many reasons a practical place to begin: The land is broad and flat and relatively... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Bullet train route is 'absolutely the worst,' farmers say

June 3, 2011, 12:05 AM
The first leg of California’s $45 billion bullet train system is supposed to be built between Fresno and Bakersfield, perhaps starting next year.  There’s “overwhelming public support” in the Central Valley for the massive public works project, the state High-Speed... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Grapevine route emerges as cost saver for high-speed rail

May 29, 2011, 8:35 AM
The Grapevine, despite its reputation for radiator-bursting climbs, is emerging by default as the least expensive option for routing high-speed trains between Bakersfield and the Los Angeles Basin, according to preliminary plans and analyses commissioned by the state. Planners had a number of... + read more
advertisement
advertisement
advertisement
© 2013 California Watch   /  development:  Happy Snowman Tech   /  design: