A new report from the Inspector General's Office tells us that “increasingly impossible” the High Speed Rail Authority will be able to complete the Madeira-Baksfield segment, and the current plan says it will be part of the first project to Finish. [emphasis, links added]
The Spike Driving Ceremony last month was a great story about the California Bullet Train.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said it was a “damn big deal” that showed that “progress” is being made on an embarrassingly lagging behind the plan, almost incredibly beyond The cost.
This is an event of public consumption, far from reality.
To emit a large dose, we go A new report from the Inspector General’s Office of High Speed Rail, which tells us that “increasingly impossible” the HSR Authority can complete the Madera-Bakersfield field The current plan says it will be the first part of the project to be completed.
How is that possible?
Because HSRA “has not completed a risk analysis, it can better determine whether its completion of a realistic and achievable plan for the MB (Merced-to-Bakersfield) segment.”
Strangely, the same Inspector General's office “responsible for improving oversight and accountability of projects”, which is also the cheerleader of the train.
It published a press release of “Major Benefits to the Country and highlighted the role of the project in stimulating economic growth”; celebrated its “progress”; and praised the high-speed rail mandate for “promoting the cleanest and greenest in the country by emphasizing ongoing progress The transportation system to know Earth Day.”
this [IG’s office] It seems more like a PR person on the train than the tenacious watchdog should be.
Alexandra Macedo, a Tulare Republican elected last fall, proposed legislation to return the project at least temporarily last fall. She believes that resources from state caps and trade funds can be allocated more appropriately.
“After 17 years and $1.6 billion in taxes, spending $1.6 billion on the route between a field in Madera and the orchard in Shafter, it’s time to redirect The state's priorities areShe said in a press release.
“That’s why I introduce Bill 267. It repositioned $2 billion in funding for high-speed rail funds to cover much-needed wildfire and water infrastructure projects.transparent
It shouldn't be that difficult to determine the best use of $2 billion.
California needs more water to overcome its eternal artificial drought and better grasp the wildfires that continue to kill and destroy.
It does not require high-speed rails.
In particular, more than triple the initial forecast (which has sunk nearly $11 billion) is lagging behind the plan for decades, The scope will be much smaller than the glorious city train its supporters promised in 2008, when voters approved a bond measure to fund it.
President Donald Trump called the day after Macedo's press release “The trains being built between Los Angeles and San Francisco…I think the worst hosting projects I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen some of the worst projects.”
It was one of the things I wanted to investigate quickly because I've never seen anything,” he said.
If the administration follows Trump’s threat, will it find anything improved since then-auditor Elaine Howle conducted a bad review of it in 2018? The chances are small, but it seems impossible.
The high-speed rail has always had nowhere to go, and it is almost impossible to imagine it going on track.
Top image of California High Speed Rail Administration
Read more on PRI
