From
Supply ManagementA lack of contractor control has been blamed in an auditor’s report for California’s bullet train project seeing billions of dollars of cost overruns and significant delays.
In a report state auditor Elaine Howle said the California High‑Speed Rail Authority, in an effort to beat deadlines for spending federal grant funds, began awarding contracts long before it had finished planning or assessing potential risks to cost and schedule.
And a lack of oversight of contractors was firmly blamed for pushing up costs at the project which, while it has secured $28bn in funding, is now anticipated to cost a likely $77bn.
The train has been mooted as an alternative to expanding airports and building new freeways to meet growing demand, especially for travel between the state’s key areas such as Silicon Valley and the Central Valley as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
But delays and cost overruns have led to it being dubbed “the bullet train to nowhere”.
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How do the California figures compare to major electrification and high speed projects in the
UK▸ ... in total terms, and in per-mid terms?
Dunno but it was possibly not helped by the absence until recently of Federal standards for high-speed rail, which has perhaps had an impact, not to mention that there's no supply chain for such construction.
A more directly comparable project is the CalTrain modernisation/electrification - US$2bn for 82km of PTC and electrification, and a few new Stadler double-deck
EMUs▸ . Makes the
GWML▸ seem like a bargain, doesn't it?
