It was supposed to be the “Grand Central Station of the West.” And in 2010, every big-name Democrat in northern California was at the groundbreaking of the Transbay Transit Center in downtown San Francisco. Then-Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer were there, as was then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and of course, then-mayor Gavin Newsom.

“I am sick and tired of hearing about how wonderful the transportation system is in France and Japan,” Newsom told reporters at the time. “Well, finally, California is going to get it right with this new high-speed rail, and that northern terminus will happen here with this project.”