By 2030, according to a new state plan, Californians will be able to ride high-speed trains — but only between Merced and Bakersfield. The High-Speed Rail Authority’s updated “business plan,” released Tuesday, clearly reflects the much-lowered expectations laid out by Gov. Gavin Newsom after he succeeded bullet train enthusiast Jerry...
Valley Mayors From Opposite Sides of the (Planned) HSR Tracks Weigh In on Project
Tuesday's virtual meeting of the California High-Speed Rail Authority was a mostly procedural affair going over a revised business plan. The authority is asking the governor and Legislature to release enough money from the state bond for high-speed rail to ensure completion of the Central Valley portion of the project....
California Bullet Train Cost Rises by Another $1 Billion
SACRAMENTO — The California High-Speed Rail Authority on Wednesday bumped its overall cost estimate for completing the rail line between San Francisco and Los Angeles to $80.3 billion, blaming inflationary increases and better cost projections for a $1.3 billion boost that still is smaller than in previous years. After years...
State Senate Appoints Perea to High-Speed Rail Board
Henry R. Perea, a longtime passenger train advocate, is the newest board member of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The state Senate appointed Perea to the position Wednesday. "I'm excited to be part of a team that is going to make critical decisions moving the project and Gov. (Gavin) Newsom's...
State Senate Appoints Perea to High-Speed Rail Board
Henry R. Perea, a longtime passenger train advocate, is the newest board member of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The state Senate appointed Perea to the position Wednesday. "I'm excited to be part of a team that is going to make critical decisions moving the project and Gov. (Gavin) Newsom's...
State Senate Appoints Perea to High-Speed Rail Board
Henry R. Perea, a longtime passenger train advocate, is the newest board member of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The state Senate appointed Perea to the position Wednesday. "I'm excited to be part of a team that is going to make critical decisions moving the project and Gov. (Gavin) Newsom's...
California Set to Pay $1.65 Billion for Work on High-Speed Rail
SACRAMENTO — California officials on Tuesday moved toward awarding a $1.65 billion contract to design and construct the tracks and system in the central San Joaquin Valley for the first segment of its beleaguered high-speed rail project. The action taken by the California High-Speed Rail Authority's board of directors was...
California Sues Over $1 Billion in Canceled High-Speed Rail Money
SACRAMENTO — California sued Tuesday to block the Trump administration from canceling nearly $1 billion for the state's high-speed rail project, escalating the state's feud with the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration announced last week it would not give California the money awarded by Congress nearly a decade ago,...
Trump Administration Cancels $1 Billion for Bullet Train
SACRAMENTO — The Trump administration canceled nearly $1 billion Thursday in federal money for California's high-speed rail project, further throwing into question the future of the ambitious plan to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco. California Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately pledged to take the administration to court. "The Trump Administration's...
Brown's Last Act Includes Keeping High-Speed Rail Leaders
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown reappointed two leaders of California's embattled high-speed rail board on Wednesday, days before leaving office. He gave Dan Richard of Piedmont and Tom Richards of Fresno fresh four-year terms on the board of directors that oversees the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which is tasked with...