Opinion: HSR boondoggle costs escalate

Nearly three months ago, we got an update from the California High Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA). At that time, the projected cost of completing the “bullet train” was $102 billion. I pointed out that the people of the Golden State had approved Proposition 1A in 2008, which authorized the issuance of $9.95 billion in bonds to build a high-speed rail system that would transport people from the vicinity of San Francisco to somewhere in the Los Angeles basin at a speed in excess of 200 mph.

As the project struggled along, it became apparent that the nearly $10 billion dollars (if the bonds had sold) would probably only cover the planning for the HSR. As the public clamored for tangible results, the CAHSRA revealed a plan for a route from Borden in Madera County to Corcoran in Kings County. Californians scratched their heads.

The Train to Nowhere

Borden (formerly, Alabama Settlement and Arcola) is, according to Wikipedia, an unincorporated community in Madera County. The original settlers arrived from Alabama in 1858, and Arcola was the name of a plantation in that state. When Southern Pacific Railroad laid its track through the area, it was renamed for Dr. Joseph Borden, a civic leader.