Calif. high-speed group pushes back against study

LOS ANGELES — During a meeting, California High-Speed Rail Authority directors pushed back against a UC Berkeley-based Institute of Transportation Studies academic analysis challenging the reliability of ridership and revenue estimates underpinning the 800-mile project, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Institute's report said that patronage models for the $42-billion first phase were too flawed to accurately predict whether the trains would run severe deficits or generate large operating surpluses, as planners predict. For the full story, click here.