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California HSR - "Unfavorable" New York Times
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: [QB] Today's Wall Street Journal (subscription site; access may be denied) has both an article and an opinion piece relating to High Speed Rail. The article suggests that the California HSR "well' will soon be dry considering the State is "broke' and the Federal funding envisioned at $15B for the $45B project has only amounted to some $3B - and likely none more on the way. The article suggests that the 140 mile route from "roundly" Merced to "roundly" Bakersfield be built and "let it go at that'. Existing Amtrak San Joaquin trains would make use of such and presumably a 'test track' would be in place to develop HSR components for "another day": http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204774604576631600031699460.html Brief passage: [i][list] [*]Including state matching funds, the California project has $6 billion, and plans are set to use that to start laying track next year—140 miles in the rural Central Valley. Even that part is running into higher costs, project managers say, and the updated business plan from the California High-Speed Rail Authority is likely to include a higher price tag and a stretched-out construction timetable....Rather than operating a separate high-speed rail service, the state could let the new track be incorporated into Amtrak's existing service until more funding became available, he said. That would slow the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles travel time—which project planners have envisioned as less than three hours—and make rail less competitive with the 80-minute flight[/i] [/list] The Opinion piece suggests a new source for infrastructure improvements, including rail, be explored - Philanthropy. Just think, Amtrak accesses Manhattan through the Buffett Tunnel: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203914304576628893908997616.html Brief passage: [i][list] [*]Given the scale of U.S. infrastructure needs, it may seem that even the wealthiest Americans lack the financial firepower to make a measurable difference. And indeed, the funds needed for some projects are huge. Only a few ultra-wealthy donors could meaningfully contribute to a $10 billion-plus rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York City. But billionaires could fund significant portions of smaller projects that are still crucial for jobs and growth: $800 million to repair a portion of the Boston-New York-Washington train corridor, or $100 million to speed construction of the Dulles metrorail project, which will link Dulles International Airport to downtown Washington, D.C. Smaller projects could be built for even less.[/i] [/list] [/QB][/QUOTE]
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