Update: Where is the California High-Speed Rail Project Headed?
Nine years after California voters narrowly approved a nearly $10-billion bond to launch the $64-billion statewide High-Speed Rail project, residents and officials are wondering where the project is headed in 2018 and beyond. The narrative being pushed by Gov. Brown and the rail authority is that the project is making steady advances. Opponents tell a… Read more »
High-Speed Rail To Face Audit After Rising Costs
California state lawmakers approved an audit request, made by a team of bipartisan politicians, of the state’s High-Speed Rail project after the projected costs for one segment rose by nearly $3 billion. Officials aim to understand whether the statewide infrastructure plan can be completed on deadline and without more dramatic cost increases. “As a… Read more »
California High Speed Rail Project Dealt Major Setbacks
A recent environmental ruling overturned by the California Supreme Court and a last-minute deal made by Gov. Jerry Brown to extend his signature “cap-and-trade” climate program another 10 years ensures further complications for the planned $64-billion bullet train. In overturning the lower court’s ruling, the Supreme Court said federal law does not allow the… Read more »
California High-Speed Rail Project Secures Critical Funds
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) secured critical funding, nearly $1.2 billion from two major sources, for a Bay Area project that is considered key to completing the $64-billion rail project — making the rail project much more likely. Thumbs up was given to the rail authority to proceed with the $2-billion Caltrain electrification… Read more »
The California High Speed Train Keeps on Rollin’
For the second time, a Sacramento County Superior judge has kept the high speed rail project from being derailed. Judge Raymond Cadei denied a preliminary injunction — after denying a temporary restraining order (TRO) one month earlier — that would have blocked the state from spending nearly $1.25 billion of recently authorized bond funding to… Read more »
California Continues to Fund High Speed Rail After Fed’s Decision to Hold
The Federal Transit Administration’s decision to halt the funding ($647 million) for the electrification of the Caltrain — a key part of extending California’s high speed rail to the Bay area — didn’t stop the rail authority. Even though the FTA stated they needed “additional time to complete review of this significant commitment to Federal… Read more »
Is High Speed Rail Back On Track?
A Sacramento County Superior judge rejected the latest attempt to derail the high-speed rail project. Judge Raymond Cadei rejected a temporary restraining order intended to stop the sale of bonds until a court could rule on whether spending it would violate Proposition 1A. The lawsuit challenged the constitutionality of AB1889 — a last-minute piece… Read more »
Feds Put High-Speed Rail Project on Shaky Ground
A $647 million grant to help modernize and electrify the Caltrain, which is considered a key part of extending California’s high-speed rail to the Bay area, has been halted by the Federal Transit Administration — and in the process killed any chance of the high-speed rail coming to San Francisco anytime soon. In a… Read more »
California High Speed Rail Authority Moving Forward in Los Angeles
Despite continued efforts to derail the bullet train and the decision to build the train to San Jose first, the California High-Speed Rail Authority has been authorized to acquire its first two pieces of property in downtown Los Angeles. Last Friday, the state Public Works Board, which oversees the acquisition of property and fiscal… Read more »
California’s Bullet Train May Cost Much More Than Originally Planned
A confidential report obtained by The Times shows that California’s bullet train is seven years behind schedule and may cost taxpayers 50% more than estimated. The report projects that the first 118-mile segment through Central Valley, which was supposed to be the easiest part of the route between L.A. and San Francisco, could cost $9.5… Read more »