No real surprise, at least not to me.
Progressive Railroading story:
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/high_speed_rail/news/California-high-speed-rail-agency-selects-German-firm-as-early-train-operator--53285
Maybe they can add some much needed financial sanity to the project?.........maybe not............we'll see.
PNWRMNMIt's California. Expect no sanity
They were smart enough to outsource it to Germans with a professional track record and true high-speed-train experience. Expect sanity in that, at least.
Overmod No real surprise, at least not to me. Progressive Railroading story: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/high_speed_rail/news/California-high-speed-rail-agency-selects-German-firm-as-early-train-operator--53285
Exactly! Time to stop attempting to reinvent the wheel when others did so 30-50 years ago.
Overmod They were smart enough to outsource it to Germans with a professional track record and true high-speed-train experience.
They were smart enough to outsource it to Germans with a professional track record and true high-speed-train experience.
I will give them that one reasonable decision, and there are probably a couple of others out there somewhere. The current project was not what was sold to the voters. That big scope change, made to cut projected costs by 50%, is now baked in. Currently projected costs, based on reduced scope, are seven times the amount of Bonds that California taxpayers approved. They are looking to further cut corners but there are not many corners left to cut.
California was once a nice place and I have lived there. Thankfully I am long gone. The place is on the verge of becoming Venezuala and for the same reasons.
They have no clue where the funds for the current scope of work will come from. If they get even one end out of the Central Valley before the whole house of cards collapses I will be surprised.
Mac
I hope DB Engineering and Consulting didn't quit their day job!
Johnny
PNWRMNM Overmod They were smart enough to outsource it to Germans with a professional track record and true high-speed-train experience. I will give them that one reasonable decision, and there are probably a couple of others out there somewhere. The current project was not what was sold to the voters. That big scope change, made to cut projected costs by 50%, is now baked in. Currently projected costs, based on reduced scope, are seven times the amount of Bonds that California taxpayers approved. They are looking to further cut corners but there are not many corners left to cut. California was once a nice place and I have lived there. Thankfully I am long gone. The place is on the verge of becoming Venezuala and for the same reasons. They have no clue where the funds for the current scope of work will come from. If they get even one end out of the Central Valley before the whole house of cards collapses I will be surprised. Mac
Apparently someone doesn't pay attention to the news that much, for at least the next 7 years funding will come directly from the states Cap and Trade emissions law, and that funding is expected to be several billion dollars per year at current market rates. The reason it's only guaranteed for 7 years is because of the provision in the new fuel tax to fund infrastructure repairs allows the state legislature to control where they money earmarked for CSHSR is spent after that, that was inserted to get what few Republicans we have in this state to vote for it. My prediction is that by the time the 7 years roles around there will be even less Republicans in our state government and the Cap and Trade money will continue to flow into CSHSR.
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