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As the Word Wars increases between the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) and the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) due to the threat of removing $ 4 billion in money from the Federal Federal Subsidiary of the Initial Project of 171 Miles, the details are in the deadlines.
Following the notification of June 4 of the FRA in the Chsra that because of “a cold and hard truth: the [California High-Speed Rail Authority] It has no viable way to complete this project in time or budget, “the railway administration planned to remove a couple of subsidies valued at $ 4 billion to a project of almost $ 7 billion in funding.
This notice also started the clock on the answers, giving the Chsra seven days to provide an initial response and 30 days to add justifying documents.
The initial response was presented in a detailed letter of 14 pages on June 11, with Chsra’s CEO, Ian Chudri, returned to the viability of the transport project, Sean Duffy, calling the “unfounded,” misleading “and” unpleasant “of the viability of the project” nothing but the rhetoric directed to the justification of a pre-ordered conclusion “.
He said that the project is underway to 119 miles from the initial phase of 171 miles that are hoping to open in 2033. Choudri asks that the FRA withdraw their proposal for the end of subsidies and, instead, work together in the project.
The next step is a deadline for the CHSRA to produce justifying documents – on July 4 – before this argument can enter the next phase. The nine containment points that the CHSRA was addressed in the initial response was submitted with an application for an area of 15 days of the 30 -day period to submit subsequent materials and a meeting to discuss concerns.
In terms of the federal part, officials say that the initial part of 171 kilometers of the 800 kilometers larger is almost $ 7 billion to less than $ 35 billion estimated financing for completion and is unlikely to meet the end period of 2033.
Although most of the funding of this part of the project comes from the state, federal funding sources have already reduced $ 6.9 billion.
Federal officials wrote that the railway authority did not finish the recruitment of rolling stocks until December 2024: the agency had already modified its contracting line on three different occasions, and that the “numerous” change orders for more than 1,000 since March 2023, which has sent the costs of the project that are sparked by the total orders of change only that total the cost of 1.6 billion costs that total the cost of changing costs. Dollars, “suggesting that a substantial part of all contracts is made out of contractors outside the original contracts. Conditions of negotiated contracts.”
The Federal Agency states that it does not finish the 171 mile segment by 2033 represents a “material change” and demonstrates the completion of subsidies. “The volume and frequency of these change orders show waste through an inexcusable combination of poor planning, implementation or mismanagement of contractors, insufficient legal authority and technical experience and other factors,” said the Federal Administration.
Dramatically different views
The initial response of the railway authority is calm to the federal vision of the project, with CHODRI convening the completion of viaducts, steps and underground steps in the first 119 miles of the track “important successes”. In total, 53 structures and 69 miles of guide are completed. The largest projects that Choudri points to as success is the Viaduct of the San Joaquin River of 4,471 feet in Fresno and the Hanford viaduct in Kings County.
The Chsra states that the segment electrification mixed between San Francisco and San Jose is complete, as is the programmatic environmental reviews and the alignment project of the section between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The CHSRA claims that it is on the way to completing the project by 2033 and identified funding to cover the shortcomings. Chudri points out the plans of Governor Gavin Newsom to ensure at least billion dollars on financing annually over the next 20 years. The CHSRA also claims that it hopes to involve private partners to help “improve the cost and delivery of the project”.
According to Chsra, the amount and cost of change orders are not a problem of compliance, and some were needed due to fra FRA terms, such as the new intrusion barrier barrier requirements. The CHSRA also says that the decision to expand its train hiring again “will not affect the date of completion of the project”.
“The FRA report also does not acknowledge that the authority has a detailed and founded plan for the completion of the EOS,” says the letter.
The Chsra says that the report of the FRA of October 2024 did not find significant problems of compliance and that once suddenly in perspective it is suddenly “exterior inconsistent with its own previous findings”.
“In the last eight months there have been no significant changes that justify Fra’s dramatic face,” says Chudri. “Instead, FRA has essentially studied the same facts it considered in the fall of 2024 and simply reached a different conclusion.”
Chudri calls for “hostility for public high -speed rail investments and California’s leadership, a hospitality that goes back to the initial attempt to fray to revoke federal funding in the program in May 2019, is the real basis for the proposed determination.”
James Leggate, the news publisher of the Government, contributed to this report.
