Costs for the initial construction segment, 119 miles from Madera to just outside Bakersfield, jumped $2.8 billion in what the consultant called the "worst-case scenario," to $10.6 billion, or over $89 million per mile.
It wasn't actual construction costs for the Central Valley section but "higher costs for land acquisition, issues in relocating utility systems, the need for safety barriers where the bullet trains would operate near freight lines and demands by stakeholders for the mitigation of myriad issues," that caused the estimate to jump 36 percent, stated Roy Hill, a consultant for WSP (formerly Parson Brinckerhoff), at the California High-Speed Rail Authority meeting on Jan. 16, reports Ralph Vartabedian for the Los Angeles Times.
[The increase] suggests the authority and its consultants have vastly underestimated the difficulties of buying land, obtaining environmental approvals, navigating through complex litigation and much else.
It raises profoundly difficult questions about how the state will complete what is considered the nation’s largest infrastructure project with the existing funding sources.
Funds could come from the $9.98 billion bond measure approved by voters in 2008 which would "require the California High Speed Rail Authority to return to the state Legislature for a supplemental appropriation...The remaining bonds probably would cover the cost increases, but partly deplete funds for further construction beyond the Central Valley," notes Vartabedian.
James Moore, director of the transportation engineering program at USC, said the surge in costs is likely to foreshadow even greater future increases. On the horizon are more difficult segments, such as the long underground passage through the Tehachapi and San Gabriel Mountains and the route into the urban San Francisco Bay Area.
The 520-mile first phase of the project, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, was projected to cost $64 billion in the 2016 business plan. According to Proposition 1A, 2008, the trip shall not take more than 2 hrs, 40 minutes, traveling at "minimum speeds of 200 mph where conditions permit."
New CEO
"The board also voted Tuesday to name Brian Kelly as its new chief executive," adds Vartabedian. "As secretary of the California Transportation Agency, he had been deeply involved in the project." [See press release (pdf) and interview with New York Times].
Hat tip to Loren Spiekerman.
FULL STORY: California bullet train cost surges by $2.8 billion: 'Worst-case scenario has happened
Gov. Gavin Newsom to Dramatically Downsize High-Speed Rail Project
The San Francisco-to-Los Angeles bullet train may have to be renamed the Central Valley High-Speed Train according to the announcement by the new governor in his first state-of-the-state address.
California's $100 Billion High-Speed Gamble
The state has less than one-third the funds necessary to build the 800-mile line connecting Northern and Southern California, depending on the cost estimate. The immediate goal is to build a 119-mile section in the Central Valley.
Legislature Raises Questions on Draft 2016 California High-Speed Rail Business Plan
Uncertainty as to whether cap-and-trade funding would continue past 2020 and opposition to the initial operating segment leaving out the city of Merced were two issues that arose during a Assembly Transportation Committee hearing of the plan.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie