Report: California High-Speed Rail Train Fare Could Be A Bargain

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A newspaper analysis has found that the most recent estimate of the cost to ride California's bullet train from Los Angeles to San Francisco is a bargain at $86.

The Los Angeles Times reports that at roughly 20 cents a mile it would be one of the world's cheapest high-speed rail trips.

The calculation assumes a typical fare between stations along a 438-mile route in the mid-range of what state officials expect the final alignment to measure.

Past fare estimates have ranged from $50 to $105.

A 2012 report that was updated last year found that the system would require a subsidy ranging from $123 million to $1 billion or more annually.

Ridership estimates have also fluctuated and there are questions about how airlines might respond to new competition.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.