Megaproject Meltdown: The $33 Billion Bullet Train That Became a $128 Billion Case Study By Edmund J. Martinez, MBA, MPH, PMPOctober 16, 2025Business and the Economy, Project ManagementBudget Breakdown, Bullet Train, California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR), Capital Projects, Central Valley HSR, Centralized Planning, Cost Overruns, Eminent Domain, Infrastructure Investment, JNR, Megaprojects, Project Governance, Public Works, Risk Management, Scope Creep, Shinkansen, Taxpayer Money Analyze the CAHSR’s $33B to $128B cost overrun as a case study in megaproject governance failure and scope creep. Compare California’s delays to the Shinkansen’s success for critical risk management lessons.
