California High-Speed Rail Thread

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California gives OK to high-speed rail

By BURGESS EVERETT | 7/6/12 7:27 PM EDT

The California state Senate passed a budget measure Friday afternoon that sealed the deal: High-speed rail is coming to the Golden State.

The bill passed with only Democratic support in the upper chamber, 21-16, and authorizes the state to provide $2.7 billion in funds that the Department of Transportation will match with $3.3 billion, a total of $6 billion that will go to funding the initial, 130-mile high-speed segment in the Central Valley region.

The federal money was contingent on the state’s go-ahead; now there is enough money for contracts to go out and ground to be broken. Some of that money came from states like Wisconsin and Florida, whose Republican governors rejected the federal fast train money. The project, decades in the making, could begin construction as soon as this winter.

The legislation also contains nearly $2 billion for local projects in the state’s heavily populated Bay Area and Southern California. The General Assembly passed the measure Thursday, 51-27, but the Senate showdown was always the main event. In the days preceding the vote, Capitol Hill Democrats — reportedly including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — aided state supporters in shoring up the necessary 21 votes for the bill, which was the subject of intense media speculation all week as leaders delayed the vote until moments before a month-long recess began.
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Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78192.html#ixzz1ztQ2UTou

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Also, here is the link to the California High Speed Rail Authority, as well as the map:

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This article is from a week ago, but as of now, there is nothing stopping this:

Judge allows California high-speed rail to move forward

November 17, 2012 |  8:12 am

A judge denied a request Friday from Central Valley farmers who sought to halt work on California's ambitious high-speed rail project, allowing work on the $68-billion project to continue at an aggressive pace.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley denied a request for a preliminary injunction, saying that the agency overseeing the project "acted reasonably and in good faith" in trying to comply with California environmental law.

Groups representing Central Valley farmers had hoped to stop the California High-Speed Rail Authority from all planning and engineering work because of their claims that the authority did not thoroughly weigh the potential environmental harms of the project.

Frawley did not rule on the merits of their case, which is expected to be heard this spring, but said he was persuaded that the state generally sought to comply with California's rigorous environmental laws, and that the potential harm to the state was much greater than the potential harm to farmers along the route.

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Update: California's high speed rail project is on track to begin construction of its first leg in July.

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Hopefully this is only a momentary setback:

California high-speed rail plans stopped in tracks

Melody Gutierrez
Updated 8:45 am, Tuesday, November 26, 2013

SACRAMENTO -- - A Sacramento judge put the brakes on California's plans to build a bullet train after dual rulings Monday blocked the sale of $8 billion in bonds and ordered the rail authority to rewrite its funding plans for the huge project.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny ruled that there was "no evidence in the record" to support the California High-Speed Rail Authority's request in March to sell the bonds from Proposition 1A, a $10 billion measure approved by voters in 2008 that allowed the bullet train project to move ahead.

In a separate but related case, the judge sided with the Kings County Board of Supervisors and two homeowners who sued the rail agency, saying it had failed to detail how the project will be financed, as legally required, before seeking bond money to begin construction.

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Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom has bailed on the project.

Is California high speed rail now a Dead Man Walking?

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Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom has bailed on the project.

Is California high speed rail now a Dead Man Walking?

I think Newsom is just trying to get some attention for himself since it's an election year, and no one cares about the Lt. Governorship. Quit trolling, Gavin, we know you were once a strong supporter of HSR.

In light of the fact that California voters have turned against the project, Newsom has more than a leg and an arm to stand on when he decided to join the tide of public opinion.   And when such a prominent public official bails out on the project, do you seriously think others won't follow the example he set? 

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This is an encouraging sign:

Private investors warming to California high-speed rail

Eric Young
Reporter- San Francisco Business Times
Aug 5, 2014, 3:25pm PDT

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The saga of high speed rail in California bears an uncomfortably close resemblance to that of Obamacare:

High Court Clears California Bullet Train But Problems Remain
 
AP    | By JULIET WILLIAMS
Posted: 10/16/2014 8:37 am EDT Updated: 10/16/2014 8:59 am EDT

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China is taking an interest in California's effort to jumpstart its high speed rail network, and wants to sell its high speed rail trains to the Golden State. 

Should we accept the offer? 

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Construction is finally set to begin Tuesday.

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Most recent estimate on average train fares if this line were running today (from Los Angeles to San Francisco) would be about $86.00 -a bargain compared to its peers in East Asia and Europe.

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From a couple of weeks ago, and I missed this completely:

Special Report: $68-billion California bullet train project likely to overshoot budget and deadline targets

Ralph Vartabedian - Contact Reporter
OCTOBER 24, 2015     1:40 PM

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On a related note, it looks like the Las Vegas high speed rail project might actually have a chance after all:

Nevada high-speed rail panel moving forward with XPressWest



By Daniel Rothberg
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015 | 7:43 p.m.

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California bullet train headed first to San Jose -- a big Bay Area win

By Jessica Calefati, Bay Area News Group
POSTED:   02/17/2016 06:59:50 PM PST

SACRAMENTO --

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Ballot measure that could have derailed the bullet train project is put on hold

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High-speed rail support hovers above majority, but possible detours loom

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Go to page 13 of that poll I linked to. 

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And this is right after Governor Newsom had announced he would dramatically truncate the original high speed rail line that would ultimately connect Los Angeles and San Francisco:

Trump administration to cancel $929 million in California high-speed rail funding

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