The scam is now begging for another $10 billion—for unions, greedy corporations, donors, friends and politicians. No one, with a straight face, believes this scam will be finished. Even if they do find the $200 billion to finish the train to nowhere, the cost of running it, the cost of tickets will be too high for all but the very rich of California. Seriously do you think Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk will use this train?
“Project leaders have been focused on completing the 171-mile Bakersfield to Merced line, which was expected to cost taxpayers an estimated $35.3 billion with a completion date sometime between 2030 and 2033, according to the California High Speed Rail Project’s 2024 business plan.
Consultants have now been informed and documents obtained by KCRA 3 show the Bakersfield to Merced project estimate could now grow by up to another $3.2 billion, reaching a total of $38.5 billion. In the project update report, project leaders pointed to inflation and the rising cost of certain materials, such as concrete and copper as some of the reasons for the possible increases. A spokesperson for the High-Speed Rail Authority confirmed the information.
Do we really have that many people going from Bakersfield to Merced? It will be much cheaper to drive than take the train, get to your destination and rent a car. California is bankrupt—we do not have the money for illegals, homeless, education and crime. We do have money for the scandal of the century.
California High Speed Rail’s budget gap could grow to $10.2 billion for Bakersfield-to-Merced
Ashley Zavala, KCRA, 5/19/25 https://www.kcra.com/article/california-high-speed-rails-budget-gap-bakersfield-merced/64814770?ICID=ref_fark&fbclid=IwY2xjawKYaclleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFob1JRb2Z2cEFmTFluRk94AR6Ibo8922FpcHUrFgnFVBte-mmL8K6OIJqtrCrqc8vZAzt7cSXkYGSyIRCQDw_aem_XBmt_LScPm5fCtkcowiEaQ
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
California’s High Speed Rail project may soon face a bigger price tag and a $10.2 billion budget gap, even larger than what lawmakers expected two months ago, as project leaders look to complete the first segment between Bakersfield and Merced.
The update, which was first reported by KCRA 3 on Monday, was provided to transportation consultants and some state lawmakers late last week after the governor pitched his proposed state spending plan for the upcoming year.
Project leaders have been focused on completing the 171-mile Bakersfield to Merced line, which was expected to cost taxpayers an estimated $35.3 billion with a completion date sometime between 2030 and 2033, according to the California High Speed Rail Project’s 2024 business plan.
Consultants have now been informed and documents obtained by KCRA 3 show the Bakersfield to Merced project estimate could now grow by up to another $3.2 billion, reaching a total of $38.5 billion. In the project update report, project leaders pointed to inflation and the rising cost of certain materials, such as concrete and copper as some of the reasons for the possible increases. A spokesperson for the High-Speed Rail Authority confirmed the information.
The warning of added costs comes after lawmakers earlier this spring learned the project needs $7 billion by next summer to move forward.
“The high-speed rail project continues to suffer from self-inflicted wounds, and I am extremely disturbed to learn about this latest information, which further erodes the public’s trust in a project as proposed will never be built,” said Huntington Beach Republican State Sen. Tony Strickland, the vice chairman of the Senate’s transportation committee.
“I urge my colleagues in the Senate for us to have a serious conversation on how we can discontinue this failed project as our state truly does not have the money to waste, and Californians are sensitive to government waste,” Strickland said.
San Jose Democratic State Sen. David Cortese, who leads the Senate’s transportation committee, had not yet commented as of Monday morning.
The Bakersfield to Merced line is just a piece of the project that was originally pitched to voters in 2008 as a $40 billion bullet train that could take riders from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Since then, the price tag for the original vision has swelled to at least $100 billion, and most of the money has yet to materialize.
Project leaders are expected to provide a full update on cost and timelines in the summer of 2025.
California taxpayers have spent about $14 billion so far on the project, and it has received some federal help.
The Trump administration’s Department of Transportation has been working on an audit of about $4 billion in federal funds used for the project. A spokesman for the Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment as of Monday morning.
Lawmakers have acknowledged the federal government could halt future funds and claw back money it has already sent, which could put the project even further into a hole.
In his updated proposed state spending plan, the governor has earmarked $1 billion for the project for the upcoming year.
“The Governor’s proposed budget for at least $1 billion per year to the high-speed rail program through the cap and invest proposal puts us in a position to complete the 171-mile Merced to Bakersfield line,” a spokesman for the project told KCRA 3 in a statement.
