U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy on Tuesday announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has withdrawn funding for four projects related to California’s High-Speed Rail project, including one in San Jose.
Calling the high-speed plan a “boondoggle,” a statement issued by Dufffy’s office said the decision will save over $175 million in federal dollars “that would have otherwise been wasted to make improvements to this failed high-speed rail project.”
“In 20 years, California has not been able to lay a single track of high-speed rail. Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg didn’t care about these failures and dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into the state’s wish list of related fantasy projects,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy in a statement. “The waste ends here. As of today, the American people are done investing in California’s failed experiment. Instead, my Department will focus on making travel great again by investing in well-managed projects that can make projects like high-speed rail a reality.”
Roughly $15 billion has been spent on California’s High-Speed Rail, according to the DOT. “The $135 billion projected total cost of the project could buy every San Francisco and LA resident nearly 200 roundtrip flights between the cities.” Duffy claimed in his statement.
Duffy also has directed the Federal Railroad Administration to review all obligated grants related to the California High-Speed Rail Project.
In July, Secretary Duffy announced that rail administration terminated $4 billion in grant funding to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) after an extensive, 315-page report noting serious issues with the project, including that the Merced to Bakersfield line would not completed by 2033. Duffy issued this statement:
“After a careful review of the benefits and risks of unobligated projects related to the California High-Speed Rail Project, and given its current state, FRA has determined that advancing these selections is not justified and will withdraw the following four projects totaling approximately $175 million:”
- Le Grand Overcrossing Project on the Merced Extension (California High-Speed Rail Project, $89.6 million)
- Southern San Jose Grade Separations (Monterey Road) (City of San Jose, $7.5 million)
- Final Design for Track and Rail Systems Project (Transbay Joint Powers Authority, $24.6 million)
- Madera High-Speed Rail Station Project (California Department of Transportation, $54.5 million)
