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The California High Speed Railway Project faces an uncertain future. With the United States Department of Transport, which threatened to cancel $ 4 billion in previously approved aid, the hopes of the state legislature and the potential private investment to complete at least the construction segment in the central valley of the State.
A letter from June 4 of the Federal Administration of the Rail to the High Speed Rail Authority of California gave the authority 37 days to respond to the criticism of the mismanagement of the project described in a report of review of the compliance with 300 pages.
The letter cited a February report from the Office of the California Inspector General, which found a $ 6.5 billion deficiency in funding to complete the 171 miles initial segment between Bakersfield and Merced, California. The OIG report also said that it is “more and more unlikely” that the authority could finish this segment until the target date of 2033.
The FRA said in the letter that it is “convinced that the Chsra has no credible plan to face this funding gap.” He cited a “pattern of broken promises” that goes back to the first days of the project. Originally conceived as a network of 800 miles that connects San Francisco and South California by 2030, the authority now estimates that the service from the 171 milesville Merced-Bakersville line, California, between 2030 and 2033 cost $ 35 million.
FRA also said that “it has no confidence that the authority will never deliver a high -speed rail system” and concluded that the inability of the authority to complete the central valley segment within the agreed budget and the calendar is a defect under its agreement.
“The authority does not agree with the conclusions of the FRA, which are wrong and do not reflect the substantial progress made to deliver high -speed rail in California,” said an authority spokesman in an email. “We are firmly committed to completing the first high -speed rail system in the country that connects the main population centers in the state.”
The spokesman said that most of the authority’s funding so far comes from the state. Includes $ 4.2 billion in the measure of bonds approved by 2008 voters and the California Emissions Chief and Trade Program. California Governor Gavin Newsom, Democrat, proposed to spend a billion dollars a year annually to the high -speed railway project of the Chief and State Commerce program in his budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year.
Baruch Feigenbaum, director general of transport policy at the ROASE Foundation, a libertarian think tank, does not see much hope that the state can increase the money that the authority will need. “I don’t think there is state government support to collect the rest,” he said. “I don’t believe, considering the political situation in Sacramento right now, there is another way forward.”
Feigenbaum is no more optimistic about private investment hopes. “Due to its cost, there is no way that the private sector can make money,” he said. “It is not feasible.”
Rick Harnish, executive director of the Advocacy Group High Speed Rail Alliance, believes that there is a way to go, but said that the state legislature “will be serious.” He urged California legislators to fight to maintain federal funding in place and to increase construction beyond the central valley. “Leave the future and discover how to do it,” he said.
According to an April survey commissioned by Politico and the Jack Citrin Center of the UC Berkeley for public opinion research, 67% of California registered voters support the high -speed railway project.
“California voters are tired of traffic jams and airport delays,” said Andy Kunz, president and CEO of the United States High Speed Railway Advocacy Group Association, in a statement. “California high-speed railway support project is growing as the state transport system continues to stop.”
Although Feigenbaum said he hopes that the high -speed railway authority would “see the writing on the wall and is achieved”, it is not where the authority seems to go. “The authority will fully address and correct the registration in our formal response to the FRA notice,” his spokesman said.
