Feb 12, 2019

California abandons $77 billion high-speed rail plan

California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Photo: Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the state will no longer pursue plans to build an estimated $77 billion high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco because the project "would cost too much and respectfully take too long," per the AP.

Driving the news: Newsrom said the state will instead focus on the Central Valley part of the route, from Merced to Bakersfield.

The big picture: The project was years behind schedule with an estimated completion date of 2033.

  • It had been hamstrung by political backlash in the state, and polling showed that a majority of Californians disapproved of the plan as costs ballooned.
  • Similar proposals for high-speed trains on the East Coast, including along the heavily trafficked Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., and Boston, have also fallen apart due to opposition and massive cost estimates, per the New York Times.

Go deeper: The U.S. still has a long way to go on high-speed rail

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