Do you remember that high-speed rail project in California that was supposed to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco and be completed in 2020? Well, it’s finally ready to begin laying track on a much shorter section on a ludicrously bigger budget.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) proudly announced that the high-speed rail has entered the track-laying phase. In his words, “We are now in the process of starting to lay track.” (Emphasis added). This is not for the full Los Angeles-San Francisco line that was supposed to be done six years ago, but for a 119-mile stretch from Madera County to Shafter. The current project goal is a line from Merced to Bakersfield, with a target completion date between 2030 and 2033. That would represent 35% of the promised project, 10 years later, and at least $44 billion (and counting) over the promised budget.