President Trump is targeting California’ high peed rail that is already three time the original budget called for and there i another four billion budgeted for the hopeless boondoggle, California will demand theywill lose if the projest is presumed to be a lost cause. The Trump administration’s Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Thursday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is spearheading a probe into the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to determine whether “roughly $4 billion in taxpayer money” should be shelled out to Califoria.
Duffy wrote in the press release:
“Given the red flags raised about this project, FRA [the Federal Railroad Administration] will investigate the delays and cost overruns through a compliance and performance revie.w”
The CHSRA was established in 1996 to oversee the buildout of a high-speed railway in California, but they suffered massive slowdowns that raised the final cost from $33million dollars to $106 million, which makes the project a total failure and can drie the final cost to rise dramatically again.
Duffy said in the press release:
“For too long, taxpayers have subsidized the massively over-budget and delayed California High-Speed Rail project. President Trump is right that this project is in dire need of an investigation. That is why I am directing my staff to review and determine whether the CHSRA has followed through on the commitments it made to receive billions of dollars in federal funding.”
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL“If not, I will have to consider whether that money could be given to deserving infrastructure projects elsewhere in the United States.”\
CHSRA CEO Ian Choudri said in a statement:
“We welcome this investigation and the opportunity to work with our federal partners. With multiple independent federal and state audits completed, every dollar is accounted for, and we stand by the progress and impact of this project. California’s high-speed rail is 171 miles under active construction, with over 50 major structures completed, 14,700 jobs created, and more than 880 small businesses engaged. This investment has already generated $22 billion in economic impact, primarily benefiting the Central Valley.”
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.
