The Washington DC-Boston metropolis has like 60 million people and Amtrak’s high speed commuter line, in spite of favorable demographics, is running at a loss. California has almost 40 million people but the vast bulk of them live in the San Diego-Los Angeles metropolis, which makes a statewide bullet train system a complete fantasy.
Well, the system might allow Democrats to inexpensively shuttle illegal voters to whatever district they are most needed in - just in time for an election. So the fantasy might seem worth pursuing, to some. :)