18 years after California voters approved the bullet train, progress and finances are still stalled

By Dan Walters, CalMatters

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters.

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Construction of the 1,911-mile transcontinental railroad connecting California with the eastern half of the United States began in 1863, while the nation was engaged in a bloody civil war, and was completed six years later when its two legs were joined at Promontory Summit in Utah.

California’s bullet train project was launched in 2008 when voters passed a $9.95…