TRAIN WARS

In 2008, California voters approved a bond to start construction of a High Speed Rail link between LA and San Francisco. Further phases will join Sacramento, San Diego and other California cities.

High Speed Rail started in Japan in the 1960s. The first line opened in France in the 1980s. Since then, these systems have expanded in Europe, Asia, and developed nations throughout the world. Even Uzbekistan has High Speed Rail. Yet Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin canceled High Speed Rail projects, returning billions in federal cash.

California suffers from terrible traffic and pollution. Its airports are jammed. Its unemployment is among the highest in the nation. Its current rail system is in deplorable shape. Yet the High Speed Rail project always seems on the brink of cancellation.

High Speed Rail will cost billions, but California built the Golden Gate Bridge during the Great Depression and the moon rockets during the Vietnam War. Is the train really just too expensive in today's economy? Does California's car culture make it a losing proposition? Is the state and the country still able to build big projects?

“Train Wars” will look at the politics, the technology, and the people directly impacted by America's only remaining true High Speed Rail project.