Meanwhile, in California the big high-speed rail news is more money from the big guy:
California high-speed rail project scores $202 million federal grant. Here’s what it will pay for
From Reuters via U.S. News & World Report, October 1:
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday inaugurated a $7.3 billion high-speed railway connecting the country's capital with the city of Bandung, a China-backed project that has been marred with problems.
The 142-kilometre (88.23-mile) railway, one of the president's flagship infrastructure projects and part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, has faced problems ranging from land procurement issues, pandemic-related delays and ballooning costs.
Monday's launch for the bullet train named "Whoosh" is far behind an original target of operations in 2019.....
....MUCH MORE
So good for Indonesia even if the cost seems high and the routing strange.Back to California. Of all the dozens of stories we've linked to over the years this one stands out:
France Tried To Warn California That The California High-Speed Rail Plan Was A $100 Billion Farce
We've been posting on the massive grift and fraud that is the California HSR for many, many years. The New York Times just did a feature on the project that is not nearly as hard-hitting as it could be, being disingenuous from the headline on:
How California’s Bullet Train Went Off the Rails
It was never "on" The Rails, a fact that was pointed out over a decade ago.
However, to their credit, the Times writers and editors included this vignette:
....The state was warned repeatedly that its plans were too complex. SNCF, the French national railroad, was among bullet train operators from Europe and Japan that came to California in the early 2000s with hopes of getting a contract to help develop the system.
The company’s recommendations for a direct route out of Los Angeles and a focus on moving people between Los Angeles and San Francisco were cast aside, said Dan McNamara, a career project manager for SNCF.
The company pulled out in 2011. “There were so many things that went wrong,” Mr. McNamara said. “SNCF was very angry. They told the state they were leaving for North Africa, which was less politically dysfunctional. They went to Morocco and helped them build a rail system.”
Morocco’s bullet train started service in 2018.....
There you have it, North Africa is less politically corrupt than California. Just amazing.
And the Governor of California wants to be President of the whole country.
