Kickstarter

TRAIN WARS - A DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT AMERICA'S CULTURE WAR AND HIGH SPEED RAIL IN CALIFORNIA

*Note: the first segment of Train Wars aired on PBS NewsHour! Different versions aired on stations throughout California, including KCET in Los Angeles.

2012 is a do-or-die year for bullet trains in the U.S. Either construction gets started this year on California's high speed rail project, or we may never see bullet train service in this country. We want to follow the story through this most critical phase, continuing to produce short pieces for PBS and ultimately creating a full-length documentary on high speed rail in America.

In 2008, California voters approved Prop. 1A, a $10 billion bond to fund a line from Los Angeles to San Francisco. But the project has been on the brink of cancellation ever since. As the ground breaking approaches on an initial 120-mile segment in the Central Valley, public support is waning. Backers try to justify the rising costs. Oil companies work behind the scenes to bolster and amplify the opposition. Meanwhile, HSR systems in Europe and Asia continue to expand while Amtrak bounces around on dilapidated tracks. Why is American rail in such a sorry state? Is this country just the wrong place for HSR? And why is there so much confusion about the technology? By developing and producing more segments and working towards a full-length documentary, Train Wars will attempt to answer these questions and shed light on the battle to decide America's transportation future.