Letters to the Editor: It might be time for California to move on from ‘hideously expensive’ high-speed rail

To the editor: So the High-Speed Rail Authority wants the good citizens of states like, say, Maine and Hawaii to help fund the hideously expensive bullet train with their federal tax dollars even though none of them will be riding the train themselves regularly (“California’s high-speed rail leaders sound alarm over project’s financial future,” May 1). Since the train will serve only the state of California and not Hawaii and Maine, it is fair that only federal tax money generated by California should be used for this boondoggle.

Meanwhile, the idea of public/private partnerships to fund the train project is a desperate fantasy. What private investment company would contribute to this $100-billion-over-budget fiasco? What hope do they have for a reasonable return on the risk?

The bullet train and its initial bond financing were sold to California tax-paying voters as a superior alternative to vehicle and airplane travel. A fine idea at the time, but not anymore considering the current estimate of future cost. It is time to mothball what has been built so far, spend on more urgent issues and perhaps resurrect the train at some future point.

Dick Helmuth, Costa Mesa