LETTER: Brightline already behind schedule

I hate to say I told you so, but my forecast about the Brightline rail project from Las Vegas to Southern California is proving accurate. Voters were initially told this would be a privately funded project, completed in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. It did not take long for that promise to fall apart. The completion date has now slipped to late 2029.

Along the way, the Biden administration committed $3 billion in taxpayer funding — hardly what most people would call privately financed. Brightline has since requested an additional $6 billion federal loan, while the projected cost has ballooned from $12 billion to $21.5 billion.

This pattern is all too familiar. Cost overruns, delayed timelines and increasing reliance on public funds have defined large rail projects in California for decades. One need only look at the California high-speed rail project to see how these efforts typically unfold. It also remains to be seen how long it will take before environmental litigation further delays construction. Groups such as the Sierra Club or the Center for Biological Diversity have historically challenged projects of this scale, often adding years to already slipping schedules.

Given this track record, it is fair to ask: How is Brightline any different?