BART’s Oakland Airport connector is back from the dead. And it has tapped an unusual funding source to make up the shortfall: high-speed rail funds.
The new funding plan, approved with an 8-1 vote, patches together grants, loans and cost savings to replace the lost stimulus money. BART expects to make up the $70 million shortfall with $20 million in state transportation funds and $5 million in grants from the High-Speed Rail Authority.
Ok, $5 million is not a lot (1% of the overall OAC boondoggle). But the whole point of the California High-Speed rail project was to divert travel from planes to trains, not the other way around.
Not to disagree with your point, but BART’s own studies show that the OAC will not increase the number of people using Oakland. So, this won’t divert people from HSR to planes.
The purpose is to facilitate faster, easier, more affordable travel period. That means making it easier for people flying in to California to move around the state on the HSR system.