California bullet train remains a good idea, despite recent setbacks

Editor: Recently covered in the news was the latest cost increase in the state’s high-speed rail project. While the new amount may seem outrageous, and any cost increases should be minimized and even decreased by the agencies involved, the basic premise of a high speed train between Los Angeles and the Bay Area still poses a unique opportunity for investing in the future.

Transportation in California can be a nightmare. Commuting to the Bay Area or Los Angeles by car is stressful and contributes to the already-congested highways in these regions.

While there are some transit systems, they are limited and can be disconnected from one another, driving many to rely on cars.

Additionally, traveling between these regions is largely limited to either a sevenhour drive or taking an airplane, which can take just as long depending on road conditions getting to and from the airport.

One solution that most of Europe and Asia have pioneered is high-speed rail, which not only provides safe and efficient travel between two destinations, but also connects communities in between them. This is what is being built in California, a rail system to connect Southern California to the Bay Area, providing options for commuters and relieving one of the three busiest domestic air routes in California, that being Los Angeles to San Francisco.

While there are questions regarding how this system is being built and the costs associated, the concept and technology is reasonable and has been implemented successfully around the world.

As a young adult who just graduated college and is entering the workforce, I see the challenges facing the high-speed rail project as worth overcoming in order to better invest in the future and improve our quality of life.