Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee
The project didn't fail. It's still under construction and will eventually be completed although at a later date and at a higher cost adjusted for inflation. The "pause" is saving political face and using the completion of the central valley segment as a guarantee of future federal dollars to bore the mountain tunnels.
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1. The project did fail. Even if it does eventually get built it will only be after drastic cost overruns and delays. That's still a failure even if trains eventually do roll. The Big Dig is probably the largest infrastructure boondoggle in my lifetime, but it was still completed eventually.
2. The probability this is NEVER completed is still quite high. It seems much more likely than not that the full system will never get built and even the limited system between SF and LA seems a 50:50 bet at best. The only way this gets built is if the federal government implements a large infrastructure bill and directs funding to it. An infrastructure bill can likely get bipartisan support and has a decent chance, but even if infrastructure money is approved Republicans will try to stop funding for this specific project given how large the price is and how all the remaining construction will be in incredibly blue areas.