Railway Age, 2/22/22
California HSR: Limited Clear
Written by David Peter Alan, Contributing Editor
Exactly three years ago, I pronounced the California High-Speed Rail project dead, and issued a poor prognosis for high-speed rail generally in the United States (Whither (Wither) High-Speed Rail?, posted here in February 2019).
Things looked terrible for the project then, especially since the FRA was about to claw back a $929 million grant because it did not look like the project would be completed by its original projected date in 2022. By that time, also, the projected cost had grown from $32 billion to $70 billion. Today the cost could go as high as $105 billion but, all in all, the proposal appears to be in better condition than it was three years ago. Construction is proceeding in the Central Valley and its proponents, especially the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), are hopeful.
David Peter Alan is one of America’s most experienced transit users and advocates, having ridden every rail transit line in the U.S., and most Canadian systems. He has also ridden the entire Amtrak network and most of the routes on VIA Rail. His advocacy on the national scene focuses on the Rail Users’ Network (RUN), where he has been a Board member since 2005. Locally in New Jersey, he served as Chair of the Lackawanna Coalition for 21 years, and remains a member. He is also a member of NJ Transit’s Senior Citizens and Disabled Residents Transportation Advisory Committee (SCDRTAC). When not writing or traveling, he practices law in the fields of Intellectual Property (Patents, Trademarks and Copyright) and business law. Any opinions expressed here are his own.
