In 1996, after decades of advocating for a high speed bullet train, the California High Speed Rail authority was founded. The point of their movement was to build a bullet train that connects L.A. to San Francisco. $9 billion was provided in 2008 to start the building of the project and construction finally started in 2015. When construction began, the train was expected to cost less than $34 billion and was to be finished sometime this year. In 2018, the authority raised the amount of money they needed to complete the project $77 billion dollars. That is more than double the amount of money it was said to cost just 3 years earlier. As of right now, the high speed rail project will cost $80.3 billion and by 2022 about one-fifth of the track is expected to be laid. It should be finished by around 2030 (given that the project is not delayed again). According to usnews.com, the train won’t be able to take you back and forth from San Francisco to L.A. It is more like a one way trip to San Francisco with many stops. Some people think that this new bullet train is extremely beneficial because trains are usually more environmentally friendly than cars. Trains take more people to a location at once. Trains have been proven to be for the most part safer than piloting a vehicle on the freeway. The building of this train also creates new jobs. Others think that this train is just a total waste of money. So, should California continue building this train system? Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Is it truly a good form of transportation? Or, do you believe that California should scrap this project altogether before it becomes too expensive and focus the money on other things?
Hey Zach! To answer your question "Should California continue building this train system?", I believe that they should scrap this project. This is my opinion because it just is not beneficial enough. Sure, trains are more efficient and environmentally friendly, but the train cannot take you back and forth from San Francisco to LA, so how do you get back when you need to? Sure, a flight, bus, or a friend can pick you up, but it will be much easier to just drive or catch a flight between the two points. Also, who will use the train? I am sure that many people will use this train, but why would most people need to go from LA to San Francisco if not for a vacation? Maybe for work trips, but this train will not take you directly to your work place since it follows a track. Lastly, and most importantly, this project has already taken up 80 billion dollars and is not even a fifth done yet! It is just too much money to benefit our society, and I think this nation is in enough debt as it is (national debt is at more than 24 trillion dollars).
ReplyDelete