Welcome to the Hardcore Husky Forums. Folks who are well-known in Cyberland and not that dumb.
Full transparency
RaceBannon
Member, Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 114,236 
in Tug Tavern
https://foxnews.com/politics/california-bullet-train-employees-told-to-shut-up
Employees at the lead consulting firm for the struggling California bullet train project were told to “shut up” and threatened with termination if they talked about the costly infrastructure project, according to a report this week.
“I was told to shut up and not say anything,” Mark Styles, who worked for WSP, told the Los Angeles Times. “I was told that I didn’t understand the political arena the project was in. I told them I am not going to shut up. This is my job.”
The Times spoke to a half dozen current and former senior officials, who said the culture that threatened to punish or terminate employees who didn’t promote the company line explains why the project has gone on for more than 10 years despite warnings about its risks and money issues.
“If I was to give a talk at a construction conference, I would say they were not following generally accepted project management principles,” project controls coordinator Todd Bilstein told the outlet, adding that failures included estimating costs, scheduling construction and managing change orders.
“Revealing bad news was discouraged,” he added. “I just couldn’t continue to work there. I don’t work that way. American professionals don’t work that way.”
A spokeswoman for WSP told the LA Times: “We always work carefully with our client to evaluate the demands of each project and to prepare realistic and transparent recommendations regarding schedule and budget.”
he project, which aims to establish a high-speed line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, was scaled back by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last year in favor of a shorter line between the cities of Bakersfield and Merced. It has also been hit by repeated delays, with estimates suggesting it may not be completed until 2033.
But despite the scaling back, The California High-Speed Rail Authority last month pegged the cost of completing the project at $80.3 billion in its draft 2020 business plan – $1.3 billion more than previously expected. The project had initially been estimated to cost $33 billion. Bullet train planners had been under increasing pressure to make progress on the system that many believe had no plausible way of living up to its goal of getting riders across the state in three hours or less.
Public funds. Taxpayer dollars
And WHISTLE BLOWERS being threatened
Employees at the lead consulting firm for the struggling California bullet train project were told to “shut up” and threatened with termination if they talked about the costly infrastructure project, according to a report this week.
“I was told to shut up and not say anything,” Mark Styles, who worked for WSP, told the Los Angeles Times. “I was told that I didn’t understand the political arena the project was in. I told them I am not going to shut up. This is my job.”
The Times spoke to a half dozen current and former senior officials, who said the culture that threatened to punish or terminate employees who didn’t promote the company line explains why the project has gone on for more than 10 years despite warnings about its risks and money issues.
“If I was to give a talk at a construction conference, I would say they were not following generally accepted project management principles,” project controls coordinator Todd Bilstein told the outlet, adding that failures included estimating costs, scheduling construction and managing change orders.
“Revealing bad news was discouraged,” he added. “I just couldn’t continue to work there. I don’t work that way. American professionals don’t work that way.”
A spokeswoman for WSP told the LA Times: “We always work carefully with our client to evaluate the demands of each project and to prepare realistic and transparent recommendations regarding schedule and budget.”
he project, which aims to establish a high-speed line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, was scaled back by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last year in favor of a shorter line between the cities of Bakersfield and Merced. It has also been hit by repeated delays, with estimates suggesting it may not be completed until 2033.
But despite the scaling back, The California High-Speed Rail Authority last month pegged the cost of completing the project at $80.3 billion in its draft 2020 business plan – $1.3 billion more than previously expected. The project had initially been estimated to cost $33 billion. Bullet train planners had been under increasing pressure to make progress on the system that many believe had no plausible way of living up to its goal of getting riders across the state in three hours or less.
Public funds. Taxpayer dollars
And WHISTLE BLOWERS being threatened
Comments
-
The voters of this state are complete fools.
-
For those from out of state this is what 80 billion gets you these days in railSFGbob said:The voters of this state are complete fools.
-
I first coined the term free shitters back in the eDuck days. Lots and lots of free shitters in CASFGbob said:The voters of this state are complete fools.
-
I've always wanted to die in Bakersfield.
Lifelong goal. -
But the sound will never die
-
Bakersfield was a hub of great country music in the 60's and 70's. Other than that I got nothingBlu82 said:I've always wanted to die in Bakersfield.
Lifelong goal.
-
FIRST!!!!!
-
Damn you and Ken Burnssalemcoog said:FIRST!!!!!
-
And it won’t even be a high speed rail system.RaceBannon said:
For those from out of state this is what 80 billion gets you these days in railSFGbob said:The voters of this state are complete fools.
Seriously, this is corrupt 3rd world shit on par with your standard African kleptocracy.
All of this is taxpayer funded graft is designed to assist the single party that runs this state and their political benefactors. -
a billion here - a billion there - and pretty soon you are talking real money
Everett Dirksen -
Buck Owens. Merle Haggard. Dwight Yoakum.
Streets of Bakersfield. Good shit. -
-
At the rate it's going it'll soon be cheaper to pack up the entire city of LA and move it to the Bay Area, brick by brick. Or vice versa.SFGbob said:
And it won’t even be a high speed rail system.RaceBannon said:
For those from out of state this is what 80 billion gets you these days in railSFGbob said:The voters of this state are complete fools.
Seriously, this is corrupt 3rd world shit on par with your standard African kleptocracy.
All of this is taxpayer funded graft is designed to assist the single party that runs this state and their political benefactors. -
The 5 is high speed car travel in that stretch. I generally cruise at 90 through there.
Add in getting to the station, stops, bullshit etc its probably faster by car
It's the stretches they took out where the car sucks
