The high-speed rail line may never be built, but it will save a few Democratic seats.
Environmentalism may be religion to some on the left, but its high priests aren’t all pure and righteous. Consider the not-so-immaculate conception of California’s bullet train.
Last week, the state’s legislature authorized $4.7 billion in bonds to start construction on high-speed rail, which had been stalled in Sacramento for more than a decade due to logistical and political malfunctions. This train is now out of the station—though it’s almost certain to break down soon.
What is it with the left and their love of high speed trains?
To them Cars and airplanes use fuel, trains don’t.
The BART system is very efficient, although it requires some energy to run. But I read that the energy costs for its tunnel under San Francisco Bay used more energy than will ever be saved by the system.
“The rail authority promised voters that the train wouldn’t require a subsidy and that the feds and private sector would pick up most of the $33 billion tab.”
That’s what was told to the public in Florida, but no one believed it and no private parties coughed up any money.
High speed rail was attempted in Texas but private enterprise wasn’t able to come up with the money. No subsidies were involved. At least the tax payers didn’t get stuck with another government white elephant.
The problem with light rail is that its’ time really hasn’t come yet in this country, but right-of-way and other costs are lower now than they will be when the need is obvious. So the choice is whether to build now and subsidize it for some indeterminate period, or wait and buy everything at much greater cost. It’s a fairly complex computation that requires data that cannot be determined accurately.
I suspect that in low-lying coastal cities, it should not be done now as those areas may be abandoned. In higher elevations it likely is better to buy now in anticipation of massive in-migraton.
“To them Cars and airplanes use fuel, trains don’t.”
Do you really think they are that simple-minded? Or are you just using (again) a fallacy ad hominem?
Truth is, trains are ever so much more fuel-efficient than either cars or planes.
And you should know things like that before you start up.