In 2008, California voters voted in favor of Proposition 1A, giving the state the green light to build a high-speed rail line. In theory it was a great idea. The train would carry passengers between San Francisco and Los Angeles in less than three hours. Ultimately, it would also connect San Diego and Sacramento. It was estimated that it would take until 2020 to complete.
But now it’s 2022, and so far California’s High Speed Rail is just a few concrete bridges and overpasses spanning the rural Central Valley. Much of the plan had to be changed, redesigned, or abandoned altogether. Now the project is decades late and well over budget. And that’s not just The California Problem. Because among the many factors that plagued the project, there are several: ingrained in the power structure of the US itself.
Watch the video to understand how difficult it is for the US to build infrastructure like California’s high-speed rail line.
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