It is slower than a speeding bullet, less powerful than an airplane and can leap small distances in half the time. It is a waste, it is a pain — no! It is the bullet train.

Four years have passed since California voters approved the construction of a bullet train, which will connect Los Angeles to San Francisco.

The once $10 billion project will take commuters between the two major metropolitan cities faster than their automobiles.

However, due to runaway costs, the high-speed locomotive budget has gone off the rails and is now a $68 billion project.

This is more money than any voter could of imagined spending on a bullet train back in 2008.

Not to mention, it will not be completed until 2030.

With its massive scale and incredible costs, it has taken four years to begin laying down the project’s tracks.

The California Legislature recently voted in favor of the project’s first step, a 130-mile stretch from Madera to Bakersfield.

This stretch is less than a fourth of the promised 800-mile railway, and it is paid for by a federal grant.

It is tough to swallow the ballooning of the bullet train’s budget.

As convenient the idea of a bullet train connecting California is, it should not be at the forefront of our state’s concerns.

As students, it is a brutal stab to our chests as our Legislature continues to push forward with this expensive train while making cuts to our education.

Also, the timing for this project is terrible.

California currently faces a huge amount of debt, and to compensate for that, we’ve faced more and more cuts to higher education.

It’s unreasonable to take money away from California universities — something essential to train the state’s workforce —and put it towards a speedy train instead.

Besides, California relies on the automobile.

A bullet train system may work better on the East Coast, where people rely more on public transportation.

But on the West Coast, we drive our cars everywhere; and if we’re not driving, we’re flying.

With the bullet train’s price point and travel time virtually the same as air travel, the idea of the bullet train is less favorable, unless you have a fear of flying, of course.

Then maybe traveling through the heart of California at super-fast speeds sounds appealing.

But should we really be spending $68 billion to coax the few who are too terrified to fly? No.

As important as it is for us to continue to improve our public transit system in California, this isn’t the project we need.

Improving travel in and out of our major cities is more important than creating fast travel in between them.

These are projects that can be done at a much lower cost than a bullet train and will not take as long to complete.

By 2030, who knows? We may have a faster and more efficient way of travel.

We should just ask ourselves, are fast trains really the transportation of our future?

The massive cost and length of completion has really taken the steam out of the bullet train.

The excitement is gone, and once the entire project is approved Californians will be feeling the pain in their wallets.

For years, we will have to wait to ride this super-fast train.

The only question to ask about then is, will Californians be able to enjoy a good road trip anymore?