LOS ANGELES — Saying California’s high-speed train connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco has gone off track, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday that he is directing the Federal Railroad Administration to initiate a compliance review of funding for the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
The announcement was immediately met by a chorus of protesters’ boos outside the news conference at LA’s Union Station, as they yelled “Build the rail,” “Duffy, go home” and “We pay taxes, we want trains,” which lasted for the duration of the event.
“California doesn’t have the money to complete the project, even with the federal promises that were made by the last administration,” Duffy said. “So the question becomes, ‘What do we do?’”
He said the FRA’s review will focus on the $4 billion the Biden administration allocated to the project for two parts of the high-speed rail between LA and San Francisco — in Merced and Bakersfield in the central part of the state.
Initially approved by California voters in 2008, the high-speed train from LA to the Bay Area was supposed to cost $33 billion and be completed by 2020. A 2022 business plan by the California High-Speed Rail Authority projected the cost had more than tripled to $105 billion, with only 22 miles of the 400-mile route ready for track laying.
The federal government has invested $2.7 billion for the project, with another $4 billion promised through the Biden administration last year. California has so far spent $15 billion on the train.
The FRA review “is going to help determine whether billions of dollars in taxpayer money should remain committed to California high-speed rail,” Duffy said. “We’re going to look at whether California High-Speed Rail has actually complied with the agreements that they’ve signed with the federal government. We can’t just say we’re going to give money and then not hold states accountable to how they spend that money.”
Duffy said there are other high-speed rail projects worthy of federal funding, citing Bright Line West — the high-speed train currently under construction that will connect the Los Angeles area with Las Vegas.
