California High Speed Rail Cost Increases By $2.8 Billion

The cost of the 119-mile segment in the Central Valley is going up by 35 percent—to $10.6 billion. That segment is currently under construction.

The increase is due to delays in obtaining rights of way for the track, the need to build more barriers along the track, higher than expected costs for a bridge widening and other items, according to the Rail Authority. 

The increase boosts the overall cost of the project to nearly $67 billion, which officials say they hope to recover later. The project has been plagued by cost hikes and lawsuits since Proposition 1A was passed by voters in 2008. The bullet train is supposed to take riders from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under three hours by 2029.

Opponents of high speed rail have called Governor Brown's pet project the train to nowhere. Some say it'll never get built—especially since Brown will be out of office come next year.