In 2008, voters in California passed Proposition 1A, giving the state the go-ahead to build a high-speed rail line. In theory, it was a great idea. The train would whisk passengers between San Francisco and Los Angeles in less than three hours. Eventually it would also link San Diego and Sacramento. It was estimated that it would take until 2020 to complete.
This high-speed rail project is a warning for the US
California’s “train to nowhere” shows the challenges ahead.
But now it’s 2022, and so far California’s high-speed rail line is just a few concrete bridges and viaducts strewn across the rural Central Valley. Much of the plan had to be changed, redesigned, or abandoned altogether. Now the project is decades late and way over budget. And that isn’t just California’s problem. Because among the many factors that plagued the project, several are baked into the power structure of the US itself.
Watch the video to understand just how difficult the US makes it to build infrastructure like California’s high-speed rail line.
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