In 2010, the Obama administration committed to giving California more than $2.5 billion for a state high-speed rail project initially estimated to cost $32 billion. The money came with strings attached: Construction of a Central Valley bullet-train rail line linking Merced and Bakersfield was to be done by today — Sept. 30, 2017. But as the Fresno Bee reported earlier this week, the California High-Speed Rail Authority will miss the deadline on its troubled project by at least two years and probably far more.

State officials offer voluminous excuses for this failure. But the fundamental problem for the rail authority is that years of evidence show its stated expectations were never reasonable.

The project’s construction timetable was never realistic, given its bizarre assumption that private investors would spend billions to partner with the state without promises of subsidies if things went awry. No subsidies ensured no investors.

The current cost estimate — $64 billion — is also not realistic. Federal officials expect a cost overrun of 50 percent on the first segment. Friday, the rail authority predicted it would be 27 percent.


Nearly nine years after state voters gave the go-ahead to the bullet-train project, it’s still full speed ahead. Unfortunately for taxpayers, Gov. Jerry Brown has long dismissed all criticism coming the train’s way. The candidates seeking to succeed him next year should be much more suspect — and forthcoming — about this boondoggle.


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