Regulations, even dumb ones, are the price we pay to live in a relatively civilized, first-world society. The Chinese, on the other hand, pay little attention to such frivolities. Projects can be greenlighted and completed very quickly, at a minimum cost.

And

But the downside is that you have to live in an authoritarian dictatorship without any regard for the environment or public sentiment. Being a dictatorship has its benefits that way. Like I said, tradeoffs.

Increasingly it appears that the US is moving toward the latter, but without the public benefit of inexpensive, rapid, public transit.

I can take China out of the equation and say Brightline could get the job done a lot faster and for less money. A lot of greed and grift is going on, or at least hyper-bureaucracy, not just safety regulations and property considerations, just as we are seeing in the LAX peoplemover project.

After agent orange leaves
?? ??
he is not leaving.

Oh, don't be so sure. Have you seen his skin or ankles lately? He might be leaving the White House ... on a gurney.

The one I keep waiting to see keel over suddenly and leave this earthly realm behind is RFK, Jr. He looks worse than the Orange Mussolini.

Back here in California building a rail system is great material for comedians.

Where else but in Government projects, especially in California, could you survive such utter incompetence without losing your job and being laughed out of town?
The original cost for 494 miles of track between LA and SF was $33 Billion to be completed in 2020. The latest estimated cost is now between $89 to $128 Billion to be completed by 2033. Without a doubt these numbers will balloon astronomically in the next 5 or 10 years. The current plan is to try and open up 171 miles from Bakersfield to Merced by 2030. Not only will this never happen on time or on budget anyone who has traveled I-5 knows this is mainly agricultural land that has no want nor need for a bullet train. The current cost estimate is somewhere between $200 million and $300 million per mile. How funny is that?

About as funny when Mexico builds a wall and pays for it.

Even the staunchest Progressives don't understand the astronomical fees, slow-motion construction and bureaucratic bullship. The Chinese would build it in a year.

Actually we understand very well, much better than you think. But it's a tradeoff. Generally it's a good idea to have an environmental impact statement, public input, paying a living wage with benefits, building up to the highest standards, respecting property rights and many other things. But those things take a lot of time and can mean enormous extra costs. Sometimes such regulations are onerous and burdensome and dumb. But since there are an infinite number of variations, it's impossible to craft regulations to fit all contingencies. Regulations, even dumb ones, are the price we pay to live in a relatively civilized, first-world society. The Chinese, on the other hand, pay little attention to such frivolities. Projects can be greenlighted and completed very quickly, at a minimum cost. But the downside is that you have to live in an authoritarian dictatorship without any regard for the environment or public sentiment. Being a dictatorship has its benefits that way. Like I said, tradeoffs.

Back here in California building a rail system is great material for comedians.

Where else but in Government projects, especially in California, could you survive such utter incompetence without losing your job and being laughed out of town?
The original cost for 494 miles of track between LA and SF was $33 Billion to be completed in 2020. The latest estimated cost is now between $89 to $128 Billion to be completed by 2033. Without a doubt these numbers will balloon astronomically in the next 5 or 10 years. The current plan is to try and open up 171 miles from Bakersfield to Merced by 2030. Not only will this never happen on time or on budget anyone who has traveled I-5 knows this is mainly agricultural land that has no want nor need for a bullet train. The current cost estimate is somewhere between $200 million and $300 million per mile. How funny is that?

Back here in California building a rail system is great material for comedians.

Is Felon 47 the comedian?

breaking news: Trump sues midalake for 10 billion dollars.

LOL

Back here in California building a rail system is great material for comedians.

Is Felon 47 the comedian?

breaking news: Trump sues midalake for 10 billion dollars.

Back here in California building a rail system is great material for comedians.

Is Felon 47 the comedian?

Back here in California building a rail system is great material for comedians.

Yes, the bullet train in particular, not LA Metro. Even the staunchest Progressives don't understand the astronomical fees, slow-motion construction and bureaucratic bullship. The Chinese would build it in a year. Come to think of it, they built the old rails.

Back here in California building a rail system is great material for comedians.

Sadly, the project has been plagued by many different problems. Yet, the reasons for the system still remain and will only become more urgent in the coming decades. The major airports are overloaded. Having sat on the asphalt for three hours in the San Francisco airport waiting for a gate to deplane, I can personally attest to this problem.

In addition, for those who believe the science, know that rail is far less polluting than air travel and car travel and should be faster when implemented. For those who believe that climate change is a Chinese/Democratic hoax perpetrated by Enemies of the People who drink blood in the basement of a pizza restaurant in Washington D.C., please enjoy the great material from comedians.

Passenger trains are coming back to Mexico. All aboard!

The first railway in Mexico was inaugurated between the port of Veracruz and El Molino in 1850. The initial segment, spanning 11.5 km, was built to standard gauge (1435mm). This line was a precursor to the more extensive network that would later connect Veracruz to Mexico City...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Mexico#/media/File:HistoricalRailMapMexico.jpg

Fast forward to the 21st century. Low-cost airlines fly all over the country, interstate buses come equipped with toilets and movies, and long-distance passenger rail is beginning to make a comeback.

The idea began with the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), who had plans for a bullet-train from Mexico City to Querétaro, including a future extension to Guadalajara, a trans-peninsular passenger train joining the Yucatán state capital city of Mérida with the popular tourist region of Riviera Maya, and a train from Mexico City to the State of Mexico capital Toluca.

From the outset the projects were criticized as being unprofitable, which they evidently would be, but that wasn’t the point: the plan was to reignite the rail industry and recreate a modern high-speed passenger train network capable of reducing travel times along what have become highly congested highways and give passengers more choice in travel.

President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office on Oct. 1, 2024, took up the baton and intends to continue expanding passenger rail service. Her government has resumed plans for a Mexico City-to-Querétaro train —but not a bullet train— and others in different parts of the country.

They include completion of the Tren Maya, the Mexico City-Querétaro project, the Interoceanic line crossing the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, several lines to the new Mexico City airport at Santa Lucía (including a stop on a new Mexico-to-Pachuca route), and others from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo on the U.S. border, and Querétaro to Irapuato.

Just as the Tequila Train returns
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250523-the-return-of-mexicos-famous-tequila-express-train