Alexis Madrigal, writing for The Atlantic:
It’s not that there couldn’t be cheaper ways of doing things. I’m sure there are. But in comparing Musk’s plan with the California HSR proposal, we’re looking at two very different levels of detail. Musk’s is a sketch. The HSR proposal has been worked over by so many parties for years, and many more costs have been discovered lurking in the details of putting in a major transportation system in the second decade of the 21st century.