Construction on a "bullet train" connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles, Calif, is set to begin this week. Though its future is still up in the air, it would be the country's fastest train if finished, boasting speeds of 200 miles per hour, Slate reported.
The project is going to cost an estimated $68 billion and has faced considerable legal and political opposition. Rail officials haven't yet allocated funds needed to finish the system over the next 14 years, and construction has started two years later than what was originally stated, the LA Times reported.
Rail board chairman Dan Richard said the beginning of the construction will allow people to see the project coming off the ground.
"We feel very confident that this program is going to go forward," he said.
Supporters of the bullet train envisioned a 21st century rail line that could bring the state's far-apart regions closer together. But making that dream a reality has been difficult, as it has shaped up to be one of the most contested political issues in California's recent history.
"They have overcome quite a lot," said Martin Wachs, a UCLA professor emeritus of urban planning. "They certainly have enormous hurdles ahead of them. The largest is locating adequate funding to start a statewide system."
Republicans in Congress said they would absolutely not provide any additional funds for the project, and the party's current control over the U.S. Senate as of November has been another setback for the project.
"Now it is less likely they are going to get federal money," said Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), the House majority leader. "They haven't solved their problems yet. Their business plan doesn't show it is viable. It could become like the skeleton of an unfinished building and they will have to stop."
Construction industry leaders say that the project will have to proceed quickly to comply with federal funding requirements due to the two year delay. About $2 billion in grants from Washington and $2 billion in state matching funds must be spent by Oct. 1, 2017, according to the requirements.
