[OhioGuy]

Most Californians want bullet trains, state poll finds

Although nearly half of Californians have reservations about paying for the state's high-speed rail line, three-fourths of them want to be able to ride bullet trains between the Bay Area and Southern California, a poll released Tuesday shows.

Pollsters hired by the California High-Speed Rail Authority asked 806 registered voters in May whether the state should continue with the largest project in its history, a $43 billion bullet train line approved during the November 2008 election.

One-third said it should be built as quickly as possible, 13 percent said they don't want it built at all, and 11 percent were unsure.

The most, 42 percent, said they supported the concept of building the high-speed railroad "but have some concerns about the timing and costs of the project," the pollsters said.

The results were even more positive in the Bay Area, where 277 residents were surveyed. Forty percent wanted it built quickly, six percentage points higher than the statewide total. Just 10 percent wanted it derailed, three points lower than the California average.

Pollsters said that may be because 80 percent of Bay Area residents said they knew details of the project, compared to 72 percent statewide.