As reported by the AP and KABC-TV (Channel 7 Los Angeles)... New environmental reports released on Tuesday for the first section (Central Valley - 140 miles of track between Bakersfield and Merced), will cost between $10 - $13.9 billion. Back in 2009 there was an estimate of $7.1 Billion.
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http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/state&id=8298908
New environmental reports released Tuesday show the first segment of the line in the Central Valley will cost between $10 billion and $13.9 billion, far more than the 2009 estimate of $7.1 billion.Story posted 2011.08.10 at 03:06 AM PDT
Building the first section of the state's proposed high-speed rail line could cost billions more than originally estimated.
The first stage of the line would stretch about 140 miles from just north of Bakersfield to near Merced. Critics have blasted the rail line as a "train to nowhere" because the first section would link relatively small towns away from the state's major population areas.
State lawmakers who have supported California's ambitious high-speed rail project questioned whether the state can afford it.
Supporters of the rail project said the private sector will be a significant source of funding and that the money will start flowing once work begins.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
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Story posted 2011.08.10 at 03:06 AM PDT
This appears to give the "grapevine" route a bit of an edge due to the higher costs of routing through the Antelope Valley (Teachapi mountains) to the Palmdale station and additional tunneling to reach Santa Clarita.
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