Newsom transforms from slug train cynic to promoter, yet his reactions stay legitimate Dan Walters
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December 10, 2023
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Newsom transforms from slug train cynic to promoter, yet his reactions stay legitimate
Dan Walters
Almost a long time back, soon after becoming legislative head of California, Gavin Newsom verged on coming clean about the state's misjudged, ineffectively oversaw and underfinanced shot train project.
"However, how about we be genuine," Newsom told the Governing body. "The ongoing undertaking, according to plan, would be excessively expensive and consciously take excessively lengthy. There's been too little oversight and insufficient straightforwardness.
"The present moment, there just isn't a way to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to L.A.," Newsom said. "I wish there were. Notwithstanding, we really do have the ability to finish a high velocity rail interface among Merced and Bakersfield."
News media coherently deduced that Newsom needed to contract what had been imagined as a statewide framework to a starter line in the San Joaquin Valley. Be that as it may, he immediately faulted writers for confounding his comments in the wake of getting heat from the venture's partners, especially development associations.
A half-decade after the fact, what Newsom said in 2019 is still obvious. It would in any case be excessively expensive, take excessively lengthy and convey pretty much nothing. Truth be told the much-reconsidered cost projection for simply the Merced-Bakersfield stretch tops the $33 billion that backers of the 2008 projectile train bond issue said would construct a total framework.
Last week, the Biden organization gave a truly necessary $3.1 billion award that the Rapid Rail Authority says would assist with finishing the 119-mile portion now under development from Madera to a point north of Bakersfield, including moving stock and a portion of the 52 miles of expansions to Merced Bakersfield that actually need funding.
Indeed, conceivable a few trains might be dashing all over the San Joaquin Valley at some point in the following ten years. In any case, to what profit? Does anybody feel that a shot train among Merced and Bakersfield could attract an adequate number of riders to legitimize the expense?
