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> I'm perplexed as to why they're having cost overruns in the flat Central Valley.

The land is extremely valuable farmland, plus the Central Valley leans fairly right politically.

It's valuable farmland, but most of the right-of-way is next to existing railroads and the surface area of the track is small. But how does the second point relate to cost?

I imagine there's perception of issues similar to what plagues the bay area transit systems: in order to pass through an area you have to win the approval of every political unit of every size along the way (this is why BART ends where it does, for example, because San Mateo county refused to allow or participate in BART).

My guess would be lack of eminent domain to force buyouts at reasonable market rates, or a lack of political will to make use of that ability.

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