California to pull plug on billion-dollar bullet train, cites ballooning costs

Backers – including several Democratic lawmakers – heralded it as an inventive concept that would connect Californians and transform transit policies down the road.But critics claimed the bullet train project was a waste of time and money.“This so-called bullet train is a solution in search of a problem that is plagued by billions of dollars in cost overruns and fiscal mismanagement,” San Diego Councilman Mark Kersey told Fox News in 2018, adding that the billions wasted on the project “could have been invested in our current infrastructure needs, such as water storage, flood control, highways and bridges.”Some supporters over the years argued the project should continue because millions of dollars had already been spent.Others said it was time to cut and run.In late November, a state audit highlighted the flaws in the project, which began the pressure on then Gov.-elect Newsom to consider cutting back the construction of the train or make other major changes.CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APPAccording to the audit, the state risked having to pay back as much as $3.5 billion in federal funds."This audit is so damning that it basically says there is no path to completion and has now triggered a federal audit," Assemblyman Jim Patterson, a Republican from Fresno who pushed for the audit, said.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.