The unknowns, when it comes to putting boring machines to work through Pacheco Pass, are many. That 13.5-mile tunnel, if it gets built, would become the longest rail tunnel in North America, surpassing the nine-mile Mount Macdonald Tunnel in British Columbia. "Part of the reason we want to advance design further is to get a better grasp on exactly what the costs will be," says Boris Lipkin, the Northern California regional director for the rail service, who added that the $19 billion number is a current worst-case scenario. But as the Mercury News reports, officials are forging ahead with the plan for the 119-mile segment as is, despite a total lack of funding thus far. Things could still change, and the Sierra Club still plans to sue to push for the high-speed rail to come to the Bay Area via Altamont Pass. And the biggest driver of the expenses for this segment is a planned 13.5-mile tunnel through a mountain at Pacheco Pass, which is part of the "preferred route" for the rail line as it stands. The price tag for California's beleaguered high-speed rail project just went up again, and with inflation and construction costs rising we can expect it to just continue rising until the construction is actually all underway.Īccording to the latest environmental documents for the high-speed rail, released Friday, the Merced-to-San Jose segment of the rail line is now estimated to cost $19 billion, up 40% from the last estimate.
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