By Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times; May 1, 2019
The California bullet train authority, despite spiraling cost increases, schedule delays and technical snafus over the last five years, told the Legislature on Wednesday it has a solid plan to build an operating segment in the Central Valley that would economically transform the region.
The report contains some sobering caveats that legislators and state leaders will have to consider: It will cost a stunning $20.4 billion to complete just a 171-mile segment between Merced and Bakersfield, a commitment of an additional $15 billion over what has been spent to date for paper studies, environmental reports and construction.