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First, let's fix the Times's headline; it should read: "Biden's Election Good News for California’s Bullet Train."
As Streetsblog previously reported, there's no question Biden will do everything he can to steer money towards the project. The Obama/Biden Administration enabled it to get started back in 2009. And if the Democrats are successful in the Georgia runoffs in January and gain a majority in the Senate, it's a fait accompli: a stimulus package will get HSR funded all the way to Los Angeles. If they managed to get the project funded in 2009 when it was theoretical, they can sure do it now that construction is underway all over the state.
Amtrak's newest trainset, capable of over 200 mph on dedicated, HSR tracks, but also capable of running on existing track at slower speeds. Image: Amtrak
If the Dems don't take the Senate, of course things get trickier. "If Republicans retain control of the Senate, a possibility that will not be settled until January, any direct help to the California project is doubtful," Vartabedian writes. But as evidence for why, he adds that "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is married to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who helped lead the Trump battle against the California project."
So McConnell's wife gummed up HSR and Caltrain, therefore he won't fund HSR?
McConnell won't vote for a funding package that includes HSR unless it's part of a deal and is inexorably linked to something he wants badly for Kentucky. That has nothing to do with who he's married to. But it's something the Democrats can try to make happen.
Meanwhile, the Times continues to ignore the fact that every few months another concrete structure gets completed. Over 4,000 workers are already building HSR.
A map of significant construction locations, CaHSRA
Moreover, engineering and design work is nearly complete on the entire system from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Electrification poles are visible from San Francisco to San Jose. Huge, visible structures dot the landscape. And on Monday, the latest overpass--this one in Fresno County--opened to the public, making space for HSR to run under American Avenue:
A HSR overpass in Fresno. Image: CaHSRA
And as anyone can see in the above photo, the HSR alignment runs alongside existing tracks that can connect the initial segments to the Bay Area. But again Vartabedian repeats the lie that the Authority is building "...an isolated [emphasis added] starter system in the Central Valley."
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