Work on the California High Speed Rail Begins, but Not Everyone is Excited

San Jose Mercury News reports that engineering for the first operable, 30-mile segment of “America’s first high-speed rail system” is underway in Fresno, California.

In 2008, voters were promised a 800 mile route that boasted speeds of 200+ mph and allowed one to travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles in just under three hours. Today, political and budgetary issues have slowed down the high speed rail as opposition grows and the initial plans change.

Although the $68 billion project offers a reprieve from high gas prices and traffic, as well as jobs associated with the engineering and construction of the project, those who face losing their real property to the CHSRA just “wish it would go away.” These landowners claim that the CHSRA has continued to submit severely undervalued offers to purchase their lands. Regardless of the amount of money offered, some owners are of the opinion that no amount of money can replace the history they share with and the time they have invested in the land being taken from them.

President Obama’s administration has pledged a $3.2 billion federal stimulus to facilitate the first phase of the project, but considering that is just a fraction of the actual cost, many Californians are of the impression that they will ultimately be footing the bill when all is said and done.