We heard early in December about the decision to build the first leg of the California high-speed rail line between Bakersfield and Corcoran, in the Central Valley, with a terminus in a place called Borden. Now, Jesse McKinley at the NYT writes up this opening stage of what will be one of the most massive transit projects of the coming decades, noting the "surprise" of the decision for the route (the federal stimulus funds came with the condition they be spent in the Central Valley), the criticism from ignored townships/politicians calling it a "train to nowhere," and the fact that Borden is a "gold rush ghost town... where all that remains is a tiny cemetery devoted to long dead Chinese workers."

The city of Corcoran, btw, is sensitive about all the talk of the "train to nowhere," with the city manager saying, "We're not nowhere. We're Mayberry." But let's face it, Corcoran. You may not be nowhere, but you can see it from where you are.

[NYT]