The failure of the state of California to complete a high-speed rail line caught the attention of social media users when the CA High-Speed Rail Authority boasted about its progress last week. The government agency proudly shared a photo of the small 1,600-foot segment, the Fresno River Viaduct, to its X account, showing a picture of the structure which obviously leads nowhere.
“The Fresno River Viaduct in Madera County is one of the first completed high-speed rail structures,” the state agency wrote. “At nearly 1,600 feet long, high-speed trains will travel over the riverbed and will run parallel with the BNSF Railroad.”
The Fresno River Viaduct in Madera County is one of the first completed high-speed rail structures. At nearly 1,600 feet long, high-speed trains will travel over the riverbed and will run parallel with the BNSF Railroad. #BuildHSR pic.twitter.com/zWqusPbOB9
— CA High-Speed Rail 🚄💨 (@CaHSRA) May 1, 2024
The bullet-train rail, which has been in the works for 9 years and has been allocated $11 billion in government funds, is ultimately supposed to extend from San Francisco to Los Angeles but has been met with numerous delays and proceedings.
The Representative for California’s 5th District, Doug LaMalfa, trashed the Viaduct, calling it the “bridge to nowhere.”
“Over $100 billion and a decade behind schedule,” he wrote. “This boondoggle is one of the greatest wastes of taxpayer dollars California has seen, and THAT is an achievement in itself.”
Over $100 billion and a decade behind schedule. All California has to show for their “high speed” rail is this bridge to nowhere. This boondoggle is one of the greatest wastes of taxpayer dollars California has seen, and THAT is an achievement in itself. https://t.co/3OXLhvpLMa
— Rep. Doug LaMalfa (@RepLaMalfa) May 6, 2024
Co-founder of Dogecoin, Billy Markus (who goes by “Shibetoshi Nakamoto” on X) joked it “is the most remarkable human achievement ever.”
“California is so incompetent,” he added.
this is the most remarkable human achievement ever, 1600 feet of high speed rail after 9 years and 11 billion dollars
it takes about 5 minutes to walk 1600 feet so a high speed rail for that is a really big deal
california is so competent https://t.co/Uff4LT57tZ
— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) May 3, 2024
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David Sacks, a venture capitalist and founder of Yammer, suggested the inability of California to complete the rail project reflects the incompetency of government—or at least California’s government. “Building products on time and on budget requires a monomaniacal leader who kicks asses to make things run right,” he argued. “Government, which is based on lobbying, backscratching and committee-based decision-making, is uniquely unsuited for this.”
The Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century—the legislation that approved the rail project—was passed by referendum vote in November of 2008. It permitted the California Transportation Commission to draw budget funds to build up the state’s train rails.
In a clip at a conference held by the Milken Institute this week, CEO of rival rail developer The Boring Company Elon Musk chalked it up to the state being overburdened with regulations.
“If year after year, there are more laws and regulations passed and more regulatory bodies created, eventually, everything will be illegal. And that’s why you see the California high-speed rail has made a tiny section that doesn’t even have rail on it, and for, I don’t know, several billion dollars, because everything at this point California has made illegal. You can’t make progress,” he said.
“At this point, California has made almost everything illegal."
Elon Musk cites the state's high speed rail as an example of a project that’s cost billions of dollars and gotten nowhere while speaking about regulation. More here: https://t.co/FtsGz3L1Vw pic.twitter.com/dmRVuO69sd
— Bloomberg (@business) May 7, 2024
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics and business for VT and a regular guest on The Unusual Suspects. Follow Shane’s work here.
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