Train wreck: high speed derailed.

• Author: Cavanaugh, Tim
• Position: Citings - Brief article

JUST MONTHS before a federally mandated deadline to break ground on a route described in the popular press as the "train to nowhere," the California High-Speed Rail Authority is in chaos. In January CEO Roelof van Ark stunned board members by announcing his resignation in the middle of a meeting. Thomas J. Umberg, the board's chairman, also quit and was replaced by an appointee of Gov. Jerry Brown.

Recent reports from the Bureau of State Audits, the Legislative Analyst's Office, and the rail authority's own inspector general have panned the bullet train project, citing unrealistic cost estimates, a lack of oversight, and inadequate research on potential ridership. The projected cost of the project has skyrocketed, from about $40 billion to between $98 billion and $118 billion, since voters approved a bond issue for high-speed rail in 2008. All of the critical reports advised that the project not go forward until it is substantially revised.

Local governments and news outlets have begun turning against...