Post

CA’s State Rail Plan has over $300 B in capital projects, about half of which are incremental improvements like Metrolink’s SCORE program. But with 3 years to go, SCORE has completed only 1/21 projects, due in part to funding. Without reform, the State Rail Plan could face a similar fate.

As we’ve previously written about, California funds construction at 0% design, when costs are virtually unknown, guaranteeing cost escalations. Having funding on hand provides 3rd parties leverage to demand expensive design changes that further drive up costs. calelectricrail.org/project-deli...

Most agencies lack dedicated funding and staff for design work, and the process of hiring consultants adds both time and costs to projects. Instead, the state should take on design work using in-house staff, as is done in European countries with lower construction costs. #JustTransitionForCaltrans

Are you frustrated at how long it's taking to get that train from SF to LA built?

Of course! CA High Speed Rail is a good example of patchwork funding - <20% of its total budget has been funded so far, and the amount has fluctuated considerably from year to year. It was also awarded funding at 0% design and forced to start construction early, causing many problems.

Important caveat that as a megaproject, it would probably not have been realistic to fund all of CA high speed rail upfront. The full funding framework we discuss works better for smaller incremental improvements.

Respectfully, most people don't know how long it takes to build a bridge. Much less 100s of them. It takes a year. CP4 built 14 bridges in 6 years. That is mind-blowing fast. We sacrificed years of our lives to match the pace. We worked alarming amounts of OT. Our wife's were ready to kill us.

When we say we want the train built faster, we are not asking for speed-ups or overtime. We are asking for more money so that more workers can work in parallel and get more done, and to remove barriers (like delays in building permits) that keep workers from starting work in the first place.

Oh, I made a butt ton of cash. Don't feel bad. It's not all political either. We have property owners, utility owners, and private and public infrastructure to contend with. It's so, so very messy. In a communist country, they just take your land. Here, it's not that easy.