California bullet train fare is a bargain at $86, says newspaper

According to a newspaper analysis, the cost to ride, which has been recently estimated for California's bullet train from Los Angeles to San Francisco, is a bargain at an average of $86. According to the Los Angeles Times, the rail trip will be the cheapest in the world at approximately 20 cents a mile. The average fare of journey on Italy's 434-mile bullet train from Milan to Salerno was 25 cents a mile.

It was 22 cents per mile on China's 809-mile line between Beijing and Shanghai. There is not much information on China's high-speed rail finances. And according to many experts, fares are greatly subsidized, similar to many other foreign operators.

According to Joseph Vranich, former president of the national High-Speed Rail Assn, "The train will lose money and require a subsidy. I have not seen a single number that has come out of the California high-speed rail organization that is credible. As a high-speed rail advocate, I am steamed".

The bullet train from Paris to Lyon in France is usually considered profitable; it has a fare of 52 cents a mile. A fare costs 46 cents a mile from Hannover to Wurzburg, Germany. Prices for tickets purchased at least a week in advance, averaged over various times of day and classes of service were compared by the newspaper.

Amtrak's Acela system is close to high-speed rail in the United States; an average of about 50 cents a mile is charged for the 454-mile trip between Washington and Boston, whereas cost of a premium same-day ticket would still remain more than the new $86 estimate. It is expected that the system will become fully operational some time in 2028.