Facebook planned to build its own railroad

NYTimes journalists published an article saying that Facebook once had plans to build its own railroad, which it had to abandon. The project had every chance of being realized if not for the outbreak of the pandemic.

The new railroad was to be laid through the city of Union City. It was planned to use the existing but decommissioned Dumbarton Railroad Bridge. Its integration into the transportation system would have made life much easier for those who have to commute to work in Silicon Valley every day.

Facebook reportedly wanted to improve its reputation not only in the digital world, where its authority is hard to argue with, but also in the real world, where it could implement equally ambitious projects. The project began to move forward in 2017, but faced a number of obstacles, including political ones.

By the time the 2020 pandemic hit, the company had managed to spend about $ 20 million on its plan. The coronavirus devalued all of Facebook’s efforts, and people started working from home. As a result, it was decided to abandon the construction of a physical highway.