What travels faster than California’s much-anticipated high-speed rail—two decades in the making with no tracks established? Well, almost anything seems to. In this instance, we’re referring to the apparent misuse of taxpayer funds.
As noted by a recent report, the project’s inspector general revealed that high-speed rail consultants pocketed over $680,000 in questionable travel reimbursements. This includes first-class flights, international trips, and even expenses for taxis to places like gyms and nightclubs.
Taxpayer money covered extravagant costs, including a private flight, high-end Uber Black rides, and late-night trips from clubs around 2:30 a.m. It’s infuriating, highlighting yet another reason to put a stop to this troubled initiative.
California’s high-speed rail project, often dubbed “the train to nowhere,” is clearly in disarray. A particularly disconcerting aspect was the existence of a “shadow government” composed of consultants who, according to a harsh 2018 California State Auditor report, effectively managed the project while also approving their own work.
Revealingly, the California High-Speed Rail Authority has acknowledged once more that it allowed consultants to run unchecked.
While these consultants have run rampant, the project’s financial situation is dire, with projections suggesting that funds will run out by 2027, according to the audit. Who, really, could justify investing any more taxpayer dollars into this tangled mess?
Steve Hilton, a candidate for governor, seems to grasp this issue. He has committed to halting taxpayer support for the project immediately if he wins on November 3. So far, California and federal taxpayers have already thrown up to $15 billion into this fiasco—without a single mile of track or train in operation.
Current projections for finishing the project sit at an astonishing $231 billion. To compare, back in 2008, voters were led to believe they would get a high-speed train journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles in around two hours and 40 minutes for no more than $45 billion by 2020.
Describing the current situation as a joke feels rather generous. By 2026, the project is barely trudging along as a pale shadow of its ambitious promises. Gavin Newsom, the governor, previously hinted at scrapping the initiative. Yet, he changed course and settled for an abbreviated rail line running from Merced to Bakersfield instead. He appointed allies to the rail authority in May of this year, reflecting a troubling trend.
Curiously, this same Newsom, back in 2014, criticized the project’s inflated numbers designed to secure funding, labeling ridership forecasts as “wildly overstated” and revenue predictions as “manipulated.” So, is it any wonder that this project has become a source of ridicule?
Despite the failures, the diminished goals, and widespread mockery, Newsom and his team refuse to discard this disaster. Why? From start to finish, this initiative has been a failure. The only thing lagging behind more than the project itself might be the political will in Sacramento to make the necessary changes.
This truly ought to be the closure of the line.
