Green monster: California abandons high-speed rail line between LA and San Francisco

Source: HotAir
Published: Feb 12, 2019
Author: Allahpundit
Post Date: 2019-02-12 18:48:24 by Tooconservative
Views: 3367

I can’t believe the new, very progressive governor of California decided to drop the axe on Cali’s great green boondoggle the same week that 2020 candidates are talking up the Green New Deal. The balance sheet Newsom is looking at must be completely radioactive.

I mean, we knew it was radioactive. But it must be Fukushima-level radioactive for him to pull the plug at this highly inopportune moment, knowing how the GOP will use this to prosecute the case against the GND.

Don’t get excited, though. You know the rule: When socialist ambitions fail, the solution is more socialism. Somehow this will be folded into the case *for*, not against, the Green New Deal.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s ending the state’s effort to build a high-speed rail line between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Newsom said Tuesday in his State of the State address it “would cost too much and take too long” to build the line long championed by his predecessor, Jerry Brown. Latest estimates pin the cost at $77 billion and completion in 2033.

Newsom says he wants to continue construction of the high-speed link from Merced to Bakersfield in California’s Central Valley. He says building the line could bring economic transformation to the agricultural region.

Originally the project was expected to cost $33 billion and to be completed next year. It ended up reaching $77 billion and, per one projection made last March, could have ended up growing to $98 billion. Canceling the SF-LA route must seem to Newsom like a massive savings at this stage of the sunk-cost dilemma.

AP reporter Nick Ricciardi sees a GOP narrative coming together:

Worth noting that Vermont bailed on single payer and now California is driving the spike through its high-speed rail. Not a great track record for blue states implementing liberal moon-shot dreams.

— Nick Riccardi (@NickRiccardi) February 12, 2019

Yeah, you might hear that on the presidential trail a time or two next year. As noted in the excerpt, Newsom intends to finish part of the line, making this some sort of partial success for HSR fans. But that may come back to haunt him. Critics both here and elsewhere have wondered what use the state will really have for a line that doesn’t actually connect L.A. and San Francisco. If California finally spears the white whale by linking Merced and Bakersfield and the service ends up being underutilized, what sort of argument is that for other high-speed rail projects elsewhere?

As I said above, there’s no problem posed by government boondoggles that can’t be solved by even bigger boondoggles. I think Jeff Blehar’s right in anticipating the pro-GND reaction to this: California’s failure proves that this can only be solved at the national level, by a government with the power to print its own money. If Californians can’t afford to pay for high-speed rail themselves, they’ll be able to afford it once the Green New Deal passes, Uncle Sam starts farting out cash, and new taxes compel flyover-country residents to pitch in. That spin will come with the complementary spin that California’s failure in this case is specific to California, driven by esoteric local issues that certainly won’t recur elsewhere in the U.S. as a thousand HSR flowers bloom.

Those arguments will ease doubts among soft GND fans but for most of the public today’s news will be hard evidence of the proposal’s infeasibility. Expect Trump to demand that California return the $3.5 billion the feds gave them for the project too. Newsom will argue that the partial line he’s working on justifies that grant, but it can only help Trump politically to sue over it. Exit quotation via Dan McLaughlin: “If something is too expensive to build once, why not build it everywhere in the country instead?”

Post Comment   Private Reply

#1: Tooconservative    To: Willie Green (#0)

Ahem...

Tooconservative posted on 2019-02-12 18:48:54   Reply   Private Reply

#2: paraclete    To: Tooconservative (#0)

It is sad to have to abandon the dream and realise what the Chinese can do every day cannot be done once in the USA, how great is the USA now. No innovation can save an ill conceived project. So on to New York - Washington, might be some point in pork barrelling in another blue state, it could run between Trump Tower and the White House

paraclete posted on 2019-02-12 19:13:35   Reply   Private Reply

#3: Hondo68    To: Tooconservative, Olive Garden Special (#0)

Trapped in the Central Valley on the train to nowhere? No escape from Fresno.

Hondo68 posted on 2019-02-12 19:32:55   Reply   Private Reply

#4: Tooconservative    To: paraclete (#2)

So on to New York - Washington, might be some point in pork barrelling in another blue state, it could run between Trump Tower and the White House

How about NYC's Penn Station to D.C on Amtrack's Acela line?

The Acela achieves an average speed (including stops) of 82.2 mph (132.3 km/h) between Washington and New York, and an average speed of 66 mph (106 km/h) from New York to Boston. The average speed over the entire route is a slightly faster 70.3 mph (113 km/h).
Travel time is from 3 to 3.5 hours, prices from $93 to $168. Speeds up to 150mph. Distance station-to-station is 238 miles. You can book bus tickets for less, travel time is 4-4.5 hours, pricing from $15-$35 one-way on Greyhound.

As has been often noted, the NYC/DC/Boston corridors are the routes where high-speed rail are the most feasible in the continental States.

Tooconservative posted on 2019-02-12 19:36:39   Reply   Private Reply

#5: GrandIsland    To: Tooconservative (#0)

Welcome back

GrandIsland posted on 2019-02-12 20:30:26   Reply   Private Reply

#6: Tooconservative    To: GrandIsland (#5)

I just couldn't resist dancing on that choo-choo's grave. You may recall my many posts over the years about the high-speed rail fantasies of these smelly hipsters.

Tooconservative posted on 2019-02-12 20:46:56   Reply   Private Reply

#7: GrandIsland    To: Tooconservative (#6)

You may recall my many posts over the years about the high-speed rail fantasies of these smelly hipsters.

I do.

Rub it in his self important snowflake face.

GrandIsland posted on 2019-02-12 22:50:53   Reply   Private Reply

#8: paraclete    To: hondo68 (#3)

reminds me of what you see in China and ten years later a completed rail line. Perhaps as a trade compromise Trump could have the Chinese build it

paraclete posted on 2019-02-13 00:14:58   Reply   Private Reply

#9: GrandIsland    To: paraclete (#8)

Perhaps as a trade compromise Trump could have the Chinese build it

Perhaps you could move your snowflake ass to China, if it’s so fucking awesome there.

GrandIsland posted on 2019-02-13 07:56:11   Reply   Private Reply

#10: Willie Green    To: Tooconservative (#1)

Ahem...

Gavin Newsom (Wikipedia)

You see anything in this guy's background worth supporting?

Or do you need ME to explain to you why he's just another limousine liberal who doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground?

Willie Green posted on 2019-02-13 09:27:54   Reply   Private Reply

#11: Tooconservative    To: Willie Green (#10)

I see this morning that Newsom is wiggling around, trying to pretend that he didn't cancel the full train route yesterday.

HotAir: Wait… is Newsom canceling the high-speed rail line or not?

Sounds like he is walking it back so he doesn't undermine the Green New Deal agenda so many Dem pols have endorsed for their 2020 campaigns. But nothing in his walkback sounds like he has any serious intention of (or money for) finishing the full train route from LA to SF.

Tooconservative posted on 2019-02-13 10:53:24   Reply   Private Reply

#12: misterwhite    To: paraclete (#8)

Perhaps as a trade compromise Trump could have the Chinese build it

Using Chinese to build a railroad in the U.S.? Sounds racist.

misterwhite posted on 2019-02-13 10:53:42   Reply   Private Reply

#13: misterwhite    To: Tooconservative (#11)

Sounds like he is walking it back so he doesn't undermine the Green New Deal agenda

Nah. He's afraid he might lose the $3.5 billion in federal money.

Hmmm. I think I may have found the wall money Trump is looking for. How sweet would that be -- use California money to build a wall in Texas.

misterwhite posted on 2019-02-13 11:04:39   Reply   Private Reply

#14: Willie Green    To: Tooconservative (#11)

But nothing in his walkback sounds like he has any serious intention of (or money for) finishing the full train route from LA to SF.

The boob's inaction only serves more cost-increasing delays...

But West Coast population density will only continue to increase throughout the 21st Century... It's not as bad as the NE Corridor yet, but it's getting there... Best to build the HSR infrastructure ahead of time rather than try to squeeze it in afterward..

Willie Green posted on 2019-02-13 12:16:23   Reply   Private Reply

#15: Justified    To: Tooconservative (#0)

Omg! A progressive that can see reality!

At 77billion you would need at least 1 million riders per day on average and make a profit of $5 past expenses to pay off the 77billion dollar boondoggle in 42 years! Assuming nothing breaks and cost do not go up and people that do ride it can afford a $30 ticket and criminals do not run off the middle class rider (rich will never ever ever ride this thing).

The only people that ride trains are criminals and the poorest of the poor! Just like the buses no body rides them in any great numbers to make it worth while.

Justified posted on 2019-02-13 12:48:49   Reply   Private Reply

#16: Justified    To: Willie Green, TooConservative (#14)

But West Coast population density will only continue to increase throughout the 21st Century.

To stop this deport all the illegal aliens. That will get rid of about 10-15 million people on the west coast. Never happen because the rich will have to pay real wages for Americans to work!

I remember the "day without an illegal alien" protest! Traffic was way way down. I guaranty they will never do that again!!!!

Justified posted on 2019-02-13 12:54:19   Reply   Private Reply

#17: Hank Rearden    To: Willie Green (#0)

Make yourself a nice hot cup of covfefe and take a deep breath, Choo-Choo.
Eventually, you'll see the wisdom in cancelling this monstrosity, no matter how many of your union-thug buddies might have been able to scam it.

Hank Rearden posted on 2019-02-13 13:31:23   Reply   Private Reply

#18: paraclete    To: misterwhite (#12)

Using Chinese to build a railroad in the U.S.? Sounds racist.

I don't know you did it once before

paraclete posted on 2019-02-13 17:27:44   Reply   Private Reply

#19: paraclete    To: GrandIsland (#9)

Perhaps you could move your snowflake ass to China,

I suggest you go take a look for yourself before making assinine comments

paraclete posted on 2019-02-13 17:28:56   Reply   Private Reply

#20: misterwhite    To: paraclete (#18)

I don't know you did it once before

Why didn't I think of that?

misterwhite posted on 2019-02-13 17:35:28   Reply   Private Reply

#21: Willie Green    To: Justified (#16)

Never happen because the rich will have to pay real wages for Americans to work!

Well since we agree that your solution will never happen, we might as well build the HSR so us poor folk can more efficiently commute back & forth to work...

Willie Green posted on 2019-02-14 09:14:16   Reply   Private Reply

#22: Justified    To: Willie Green (#21)

Why should the middle class pay for the poor to ride a train to no where?

The major problem with trains you are not safe from criminals and you are not allowed to protect yourself or your family. No one is going to ride trains. Then add the cost to build and maintain train system would be horrendous!

There just isn't any good reason for trains!

It would be cheaper to buy the poor electric cars. Then it would be cheaper just to get rid of the illegal aliens and force the rich to pay full price for workers! Then the poor can move to the middle class without bring the middle class down to equal the poor. That's the more moral thing to do.

Justified posted on 2019-02-14 16:06:26   Reply   Private Reply