SACRAMENTO — The latest version of the business plan for California’s high speed rail system has dropped a plan to build a single track for its initial 171-mile segment, instead returning to the original two-track plan.
The Los Angeles Times reports the draft version of the 2022 business plan released Tuesday by the California High Speed Rail Authority estimates the cost of the full system has risen to $105 billion, a $5 billion increase from the 2020 plan. The newspaper says some of that increase reflect recent changes to reduce impacts on communities in the San Joaquin Valley; some likely is simply a reflection of current inflation.
The single-track plan had been suggested as a way to save up to $1 billion in initial construction costs [see “California high speed rail authority approves business plan …,” Trains News Wire, March 26, 2021]. But critics said building the two tracks separately could end up being more expensive.
The full business plan is available at the rail authority website.
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