Fun fact: the total amount spent on HSR from inception to date is...
$20 billion? Nope.
$10 billion? Try again.
$5 billion is the answer [
www.hsr.ca.gov]
Plenty of time for a course correction, such as crossing the much shorter Tejon Pass with steeper 4.5% grades (hence fewer tunnels). Palmdale passengers can dogleg along 138, sparing everyone else the scenic tour of the high desert.