Submission + - California Bullet Train Project Hurdles (latimes.com)
willworkforbeer writes: The proposed US$68B high speed rail project in California faced extraordinary hurdles, both in the budget and timeframe. Even Einstein (no, not that one, but a leading tunnel expert) says the scheduled is probably not possible.
"Herbert Einstein, an MIT civil engineer and another of the nation's top tunneling experts, said, "I don't think it is possible."
"Having looked at a number of these long tunnels, [the California] plan is aggressive," said Einstein, who has consulted on a 35-mile-long tunnel under the Swiss Alps. "From a civil engineering perspective it is very, very ambitious — to put it mildly."
New York's 11-mile East Side Access tunnel project is 14 years late and about 2.5X its original budget. If California's 72 miles of tunnels (twin tunnels of 36 miles) goes like New York's, that would be over US$160B spent with an opening date sometime in the 2030's.
"Herbert Einstein, an MIT civil engineer and another of the nation's top tunneling experts, said, "I don't think it is possible."
"Having looked at a number of these long tunnels, [the California] plan is aggressive," said Einstein, who has consulted on a 35-mile-long tunnel under the Swiss Alps. "From a civil engineering perspective it is very, very ambitious — to put it mildly."
New York's 11-mile East Side Access tunnel project is 14 years late and about 2.5X its original budget. If California's 72 miles of tunnels (twin tunnels of 36 miles) goes like New York's, that would be over US$160B spent with an opening date sometime in the 2030's.
