Letters to the Editor: A few key decisions leave California’s high-speed rail project doomed

To the editor: The high-speed rail’s cost overruns and delays can be traced back to the initial planning stages (“Why California won’t give up the dream of high-speed rail,” June 16). Instead of carving up land through the center of California, the state should have used the existing coastline rail. This would have eliminated the need for eminent domain and all the costs associated with those acquisitions. The next big failure was the “go it alone” attitude, not following the advice of consultants from countries that have a high-speed train line. The fact that we failed to follow the leads of friendly countries such as Japan or France was another costly mistake that ate up time.

It is a very sad fact that we call ourselves leaders in the world but to date, there is no high-speed rail in this country. It is also sad that after all this time, it looks like we won’t have one for a number of years.

Robert Bachmann, Los Angeles

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To the editor: In an episode of “The Simpsons,” a showman manages to sell Springfield an unnecessary monorail that nearly bankrupts the town. I’m sure I’m not the only one seeing a parallel.

The purpose of this high-speed rail really is a mystery when we already have airplanes. Is it for weekend escapes connecting Los Angeles or San Diego to San Francisco, saving a couple of hours at most? With a budget that could be used to build housing for the homeless, in addition to schools and hospitals? I hope this fantasy dies along with its ridiculous budget, and that this vain governor finds something a bit more sensible to do with the money.

Michele Castagnetti, Los Angeles