The Briefing Room

State Chapters => California => Topic started by: Elderberry on March 13, 2020, 02:01:22 pm

Title: California’s Bullet Train A Bigger Mess Than Anyone Realized
Post by: Elderberry on March 13, 2020, 02:01:22 pm
Climate Change Dispatch  by Jazz Shaw on Mar 13, 2020

Going back to early 2018, Ed Morrissey was already sounding the alarm about the way that California’s vaunted high-speed rail line, affectionately known as the bullet train, was imploding as the world watched.

By that point, cost estimates for the rail project had nearly tripled from the original projections, jumping high enough to quite literally pay for seven new nuclear-powered aircraft carriers for the Navy or wipe out more than three-quarters of Venezuela’s staggering national debt.

We’re now talking about $77B. But the specifics of how things flew so badly off the rails (pardon the pun) have remained something of a mystery.

It would be easy enough to write this off to normal bureaucratic incompetence, except the daunting magnitude of this financial failure seems a bit much even for gross stupidity to explain.

Now, however, the Los Angeles Times has spoken to a number of whistleblowers from WSP, the primary contractor handling the planning and management of the huge construction project.

More: https://climatechangedispatch.com/california-bullet-train-bigger-mess/ (https://climatechangedispatch.com/california-bullet-train-bigger-mess/)

Title: Re: California’s Bullet Train A Bigger Mess Than Anyone Realized
Post by: IsailedawayfromFR on March 14, 2020, 01:19:03 am
From article
Quote
Several of them agree that everyone knew the project was a disaster, but the company’s leadership had made it clear that nobody was to speak up about it or their careers would take a downward turn.

A core problem was the project’s operating culture, in which managers for WSP, the bullet train’s lead consultant, threatened to punish or terminate employees if they failed to toe the company line, Styles said.
Since federal funds were involved, silencing whistleblowers like this is illegal and prosecution is warranted.
Title: Re: California’s Bullet Train A Bigger Mess Than Anyone Realized
Post by: Hoodat on March 14, 2020, 01:28:04 am
Quote
California’s Bullet Train A Bigger Mess Than Anyone Realized

Uh, no.  Conservatives realized this before the Dems even started building it.
Title: Re: California’s Bullet Train A Bigger Mess Than Anyone Realized
Post by: truth_seeker on March 14, 2020, 01:35:41 am
Doesn't Texas have a high speed train in the works?
Title: Re: California’s Bullet Train A Bigger Mess Than Anyone Realized
Post by: XenaLee on March 14, 2020, 01:56:43 am
Doesn't Texas have a high speed train in the works?

https://www.texascentral.com/alignment-maps/ (https://www.texascentral.com/alignment-maps/)
Title: Re: California’s Bullet Train A Bigger Mess Than Anyone Realized
Post by: Hoodat on March 14, 2020, 01:57:32 am
Doesn't Texas have a high speed train in the works?

A private company in Texas does.
Title: Re: California’s Bullet Train A Bigger Mess Than Anyone Realized
Post by: PeteS in CA on March 14, 2020, 02:09:44 pm
Uh, no.  Conservatives realized this before the Dems even started building it.

I voted against the bond-doggle initiative that authorized and provided state funding for this abortion.
Title: Re: California’s Bullet Train A Bigger Mess Than Anyone Realized
Post by: ChemEngrMBA on March 16, 2020, 11:40:03 pm


More: https://climatechangedispatch.com/california-bullet-train-bigger-mess/ (https://climatechangedispatch.com/california-bullet-train-bigger-mess/)

Added to http://PeoplesRepublicOfCalifornia.wordpress.com (http://PeoplesRepublicOfCalifornia.wordpress.com)

Mercy beaucoup  (Pun Inn Tended)