Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
The California bullet train is supposed to go from LA to San Francisco when it's finished. The problem is how expensive it's going to be and how to pay for it.
New reports estimate that the 119 miles of track in the central valley will cost $10.6 billion. That's up by more than $2 billion from the current budget. WSP, the leading consultation firm on the project, said that the increase could be attributed to higher costs for land acquisition, issues in relocating utility systems and the need for safety barriers where the bullet trains would operate.
James Moore, director of USC's Transportation Engineering Program, joined Take Two to discuss the budget problems of California's high-speed rail project.
"They're never going to cover all the costs. They may build the system. That, in my opinion, is the worst case scenario because it's never going to recover its cost of operations ... Gasoline is very inexpensive. Aircraft has a large share of the short trips. There's just not enough space in between those two for high-speed rail to compete. Even if the system costs exactly what it's supposed to cost, it will never pay for itself."