Trump will soon become President. It is hoped that all these types of “commitments (payoffs to politicians, unions and vendors) will be stopped. Why should the people of Maui, Hawaii finance a California exclusive train–$3 and a half billion worth? At the same time Biden is unable to provide aide to the people of Maui and North Carolina?
“The new cash commitment from the Federal Transit Administration, which requires local matching funds, represents 41% of the current estimated cost of The Portal project.
The massive undertaking would extend the Caltrain commuter rail line by 1.8 miles, dig 1.3 miles of underground tunnel, and construct two underground stations to bring Caltrain service from Fourth and King Streets to a six-level underground endpoint. Agency officials anticipate the rail extension will be in service around 2032 or 2033.
You read that right—about $6.5 BILLION to dig just 1.8 miles!!! How many payoffs to unions and contractors are there in that money. I bet Musk could get oit down for a tenth of the price. This is fraud and the media refuses to notice it.
Feds pledge $3.4B to bring Caltrain, high-speed rail to Salesforce center
By Patrick Hoge, SF Examiner, 6/7/24 https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/transit/san-francisco-high-speed-rail-connection-boosted-by-billions/article_5caf2088-0f23-11ef-91d9-934fe4357d4c.html
A rendering shows The Portal — a terminus for Caltrain and perhaps the California high-speed rail system — deep underground at the Salesforce Transit Center.
The decadeslong quest to connect Caltrain and high-speed rail to the multimodal Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco has taken a giant leap forward with a federal pledge of $3.38 billion to the effort, according to the agency managing the project.
The new cash commitment from the Federal Transit Administration, which requires local matching funds, represents 41% of the current estimated cost of The Portal project.
The massive undertaking would extend the Caltrain commuter rail line by 1.8 miles, dig 1.3 miles of underground tunnel, and construct two underground stations to bring Caltrain service from Fourth and King Streets to a six-level underground endpoint. Agency officials anticipate the rail extension will be in service around 2032 or 2033.
The planned extension of Caltrain from Fourth and King Streets to the Salesforce Transit Center.
When finished, the transit center will enable people traveling to the immediate area via local and regional modes to connect with bus lines, commuter rail serving the Peninsula and South Bay, and — in theory — high-speed rail through the Central Valley to Southern California.
It follows a March announcement by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration was requesting $500 million for the project.
With other local and state funding sources already committed, the project now has over two-thirds of the estimated cost covered, said Adam Van de Water, executive director of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, in a presentation to his agency’s board of directors this week.
“There’s only a handful of projects in the United States that have that level of commitment,” Van de Water said.
This stupidity is designed to make Trump look bad. If he does not allow the money grab to take place, he will look bad to the voters as will all the elected Republicans nation wide.