Amtrak, CA high-speed rail cancel joint train agreement

by John Seiler | June 22, 2014 1:18 am

Amtrak_logo_(1971)It’s another blow to California’s high-speed rail project. AP reported[1]:

Amtrak and the California High-Speed Rail Authority said Friday that they canceled a joint agreement seeking companies to build high-speed trains for them, a proposal billed as a way to save money and lure advanced train manufacturing to the United States.

The agencies said their needs are too different and manufacturers are not yet ready to build trains that can run on both Amtrak’s 100-year-old rail lines and the high-speed corridors planned for California’s system.

It’s basic Econ. 101: The more you make of something, the lower the costs for each unit. That means the California project will cost more than it would have before Friday.

It’s also ironic because Amtrak is another inefficient government system that still receives subsidies, although those have been shifted mostly to the states [2]from the federal government.

Two socialist systems being unable to work together is another indication that both should be canceled.

Endnotes:
  1. AP reported: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/06/20/5916828/california-amtrak-end-joint-high.html
  2. shifted mostly to the states : http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2013/10/01/four-states-continue-talks-to-keep-amtrak-service

Source URL: https://calwatchdog.com/2014/06/22/amtrak-ca-high-speed-rail-cancel-joint-train-agreement/