California High-Speed Rail at a Tipping Point

Will the California high-speed rail project move forward, or will politicians pull the plug? The fate of the program weighs in the balance as construction is about to begin.

1 minute read

July 25, 2011, 1:00 PM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Carolyn Lochhead of the San Francisco Chronicle sums up the current situation, with the Federal government at loggerheads over funding for high-speed rail and Californians taking sides:

"Supporters insist that California must build the project. The state is expected to add as many as 11 million more residents by 2025, reaching a population of 48 million. The alternatives to high-speed rail - more and expanded freeways, bigger airports and expansions of urban mass transit - will be just as costly, they argue."

Critics say that the project is a boondoggle, and that underestimated costs will mean the billions invested in the project will go to waste when the money isn't there to complete it.

For daily coverage of high-speed rail in the United States and beyond, visit The Railist.

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Transportation California High-Speed Rail California High-Speed Rail Authority

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