In 2008, California voters authorized $10 billion in state bonding to partially fund a high-speed rail project that would host a “bullet train” between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It would allow passengers to make that 381-mile trip in less than three hours (vs. a plane trip that currently takes 1.5 hours.)
The original cost to build the bullet train was $33 billion and Phase I was projected to begin service in 2020 (spoiler alert: that didn’t happen.).
Instead, costs have escalated by billions of dollars, the federal government continues to pump billions more to keep the project alive… and now independent reports say that it will take “another 15 to 20 years to build” the line at a cost nearly three times as much as projected.
Contrast that with the Florida “Brightline.”
Today, you can board a first-class high-speed rail train which is notable because it is “the largest privately funded infrastructure program in the nation.” Ever.
The train travels the 235 miles between Miami and Orlando and makes the trip in 3 – 3.5 hours, depending upon the stop you choose in Miami.
The program started construction in 2018 – 10 years after California began construction on their high-speed rail program that is still “15 – 20 years” away from completion.
But wait! There’s more: Last month, “Brightline West” broke ground. This new fully electric, high-speed rail train will take travelers from Las Vegas to Los Angeles (218 miles) in two hours – twice as fast as existing drive time. It is expected to open in four years – 2028 – a convenient form of green transportation in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics being hosted by Los Angeles.
