Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced California’s high-speed rail boondoggle will undergo a review to determine whether about $4 billion in federal funds should continue to go toward the project.
The announcement came after California Republicans requested the federal government to step in and investigate the project.
"We're going to look at whether the California High Speed Rail Authority has actually complied with the agreements that they've signed with the federal government," Duffy said. "We can't just say we're going to give money and then not hold states accountable to how they spend that money."
The entire San Francisco to Los Angeles project was initially supposed to be completed by 2020 and cost $33 billion. Today, the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment alone would cost more than the original total. The latest estimate for San Francisco to Los Angeles is $106 billion — more than three times the original cost estimate.[...]
As recently noted by the California High-Speed Rail Office of the Inspector General, just the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment has a funding gap of at least $6.5 billion. That gap remains despite California being due to receive over $4 billion from the Biden Administration. The CHSRA Inspector General also found that even this limited project, with barely 2 million in annual projected ridership because it fails to connect California’s larger cities, is unlikely to be completed by 2033.
In March of 2023, the CHSRA Peer Review Group, charged with evaluating CHSRA’s funding plans, reported an “unfunded gap of $92.6 billion to $103.1 billion between estimated costs and known State and Federal funding” for the San Francisco-to-Las Angeles connection. Given the red flags raised about this project, FRA will investigate the delays and cost overruns through a compliance and performance review.
The slow progress by CHSRA contrasts with the impressive work of Brightline West to build a high-speed rail system. Brightline West plans to begin service between the Los Angeles region and Las Vegas in 2028.
At the direction of Secretary Duffy, FRA will review CHSRA and the progress on the Merced-to-Bakersfield Corridor. The detailed review will look at CHSRA’s compliance under the FRA-administered grant agreements to determine whether CHSRA has fully met its obligations under the award terms. (Transportation Department)
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"The problem is California is still short $6.5 billion," Duffy added. "California doesn't have the money to complete the project, even with the federal promises that were made by the last administration, so the question becomes what do we do? Well, I can't make decisions for the great state of California, but we do have to be responsible for the tax dollars that are spent from the federal government."
Rep. Kevin Kelly (R-CA), who joined Duffy and other GOP officials at the announcement, called the project the "worst public infrastructure failure in U.S. history."
It is a blight on our landscape and an embarrassment to our state. It is a symbol for the decline of modern California, showcasing political ineptitude on an epic scale.
It exemplifies the failures of transparency and accountability, of governance and planning, of vision and leadership, of competence and common sense that have turned the greatest state in the country into the most popular state to leave.
It represents the disregard for taxpayer dollars, for property rights, for democratic accountability, for economic reality, that have caused our beautiful state to lead the nation in all the wrong ways.
And it highlights the small-mindedness of our politicians, who think of themselves as visionaries for plowing ahead with a 20th century project that won’t be complete until the 22nd century, at best.
The failure of High-Speed Rail represents all that has gone wrong in modern California. And that is precisely why this is such a hopeful day; the end of this ill-fated project will serve as a new beginning.
We are turning the page in California. A coalition for common sense is ascendant.
Today I joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to announce an investigation into CA High-Speed Rail, which could claw back $4.3 billion in federal funds. Amusingly, a few protestors showed up in support of the boondoggle.
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) February 20, 2025
The High-Speed Rail disaster is the worst… pic.twitter.com/0sHYSVjCJc
Joined Transportation Secretary Duffy and my legislative colleagues has he announced a full review of the federal funding going to the mismanaged California high speed rail nightmare. There are more important uses of these precious tax dollars like water storage, forest… pic.twitter.com/y48sVrPOAT
— Vince Fong (@vfong) February 20, 2025
There were protesters who showed up to the announcement, and Duffy reminded them where their anger should be directed.
Today I joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to announce an investigation into CA High-Speed Rail, which could claw back $4.3 billion in federal funds. Amusingly, a few protestors showed up in support of the boondoggle.
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) February 20, 2025
The High-Speed Rail disaster is the worst… pic.twitter.com/0sHYSVjCJc
Over a decade and $16B of taxpayer dollars wasted with zero results on this rail project. If protestors want to shout at someone, they should direct their outrage at Governor Newsom and complicit Democrats who have enabled this fraud and waste for a train to nowhere. @USDOT will… pic.twitter.com/KsXKhYczll
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 20, 2025
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