this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2025
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California never cancelled the high speed rail, it's just taking forever because it's so easy to mire any project in bureaucracy and lawsuits.
On the plus side, it's probably the hardest regulatory environment to do such things, so, once it's finished, my hope is that it'll lead to an explosion of high speed rail now that it can be done with the benefit of all of the lessons learned.
I mean, at least we're still fuckin trying.
I remember when the Texas Lone Star Rail project between Austin and San Antonio finally got "fully funded." I was in college taking a transportation systems course, and one of our guest speakers was the director of the project.
I realized how doomed we were when I found out she was the only employee of the project and only worked 20 hours a week - almost all of which was speaking engagements.
That may have been true in the 2010s for cal hsr, but at this point the thing holding it up is just money. The environmental review is done for the segment between san Francisco and Los Angeles and everything has been cleared and construction is going on for the initial Bakersfield to Merced segment. There's just no money to build it, the only consistent form of funding for it is California cap and trade sales which only nets $750 million annually on a project estimated to cost well over $100 billion. They occasionally get some money from the federal government only to have that taken away or suspended whenever trump gets in office.
That's what really separates China from the US, the people in control of their tax dollars are using them to build infrastructure for the people instead of using it on billionaire tax breaks and to make jets and bombs to drop on Palestinians.
Exactly- California has to negotiate with every landowner, government agency, business, etc. to build a railroad. China doesn't have to deal with that. If they want to tear down a building, they just do it without caring much about the person they are taking it from. Authoritarianism is really good at doing big things really fast.
No they don't. They offer compensation and if the owner still refuses they build around them. That's what leads to all those wacky photos of highways going around a single house.
I've heard it mostly goes the other way (I mean even the US has eminent domain), do you have any examples of the wacky highways/railroads?
Google Chinese nail houses.
Thanks!
Those are a problem for business development not high speed rail.
What difference is there in telling someone "hey we need to demolish your house for a highway/railway please accept this compensation"
In China? A lot. It's the difference between a national need and a local want.
It's in how they've prioritized things. The owner will still get compensated but they can't say no.
But they can say no. You've just made that up in your head.
tbf I'd rather have my landlord's house eminent domain'd if it meant high-speed rail.
Pretty sure like 80% of it got put on hold indefinitely. They are doing only like Fresno to Bakersfield or some bullshit instead.
They’re not wrong. It’s mired in legal BS. Lawyers saw deep pockets and NIMBYS, and are dragging their feet through the courts and are making free money while costing taxpayers multiple of millions.
It’s more the fact that our topography is extremely difficult to make level to the degree that true high speed rail needs. Most of the environmental review, and land acquisition (the hardest and legal parts) are mostly wrapped up from San Jose into LA now.
The bigger issue with what’s made this project take more time IMO (and as a California resident) is that we basically refused the help of high speed rail engineers and designers from the EU and Japan. They showed up the day after the initial prop passed to help and we turned them away. We like to try and do things our own way here in Cali and sometimes that really bites us in the ass. I’d rather have some of those tax dollars “leave” the state or country in exchange for knowledgeable people helping us get it done faster.
Also, I’d advise anybody who can to drive around the Central Valley. The scale of high speed rail projects and the size of them is INSANE. Especially compared to the surrounding environment.
The topology of China is also hard to work with tbh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengdu%E2%80%93Chongqing_intercity_railway
Huh, I'll have to do some looking into that.