Rail Project Costs Rising

Cost estimates for California’s proposed high-speed rail project are starting to come in higher than expected, according to local press reports.

New cost estimates from the California High Speed Rail Authority released Tuesday tag the cost of construction for the first stretch between Merced and Bakersfield between $10 billion and $13.9 billion, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The newspaper said the original cost of the leg had been estimated at around $6.8 billion.

 The state originally estimated the cost of the passenger train project at $33 billion when voters approved it in 2008, but that rose to $43 billion a year later, according to the paper.

California, with the help of a $10 billion general obligation bond measure approved by voters in 2008, is trying to build a high-speed train system linking the Los Angeles area to the San Francisco Bay area.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Transportation industry California
MORE FROM BOND BUYER