California’s High-Speed Rail Is Still Just a Dream, Not a Train

California’s ambitious plan to link San Francisco and L.A. with a high-speed rail system has become the gold standard for how dreams collide with reality. Originally imagined as a futuristic bullet train slicing through the Golden State, it's now best described as the world’s slowest infrastructure project. Key issues include the never quite arriving funding—yes, chasing dollars is still the state's favorite sport—plus planning hiccups and a federal support system that seems to be on permanent lunch break. If funding were a train, this one would never leave the station between optimistic speeches and empty tracks.

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Source: Grist | Published: 9/8/2025 | Author: Benton Graham