California High Speed Rail Breaks Ground Today in Fresno

"California's bullet-train agency will officially start construction in Fresno this week on the first 29-mile segment of the system, a symbol of the significant progress the $68-billion project has made against persistent political and legal opposition," according to Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times.

Vartabedian covers both the recent successes of the high speed rail proposal and the remaining challenges, such as finding the remaining funding necessary for the project and amassing all the private land needed for the line. Vartabedian writes, "Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony also will serve as a reminder of the enormous financial, technical and political risks still faced by the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco project."

The historic groundbreaking has garnered media attention from multiple outlets, including Tim Sheehan for The Fresno Bee, who notes the ongoing opposition to the project from the Madera and Merced county farm bureaus. Reid Wilson, covering the groundbreaking for The Washington Post, notes the historic size and scope of the project, including details about the project and the political background on the project's ongoing controversies.