Newsom's Train to No Where

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Gov. Newsom Celebrates High Speed Rail Kern County Track Laying

‘The high speed rail project has just stubbornly refused to die despite it costing California so much’

By Evan Symon, January 7, 2025 1:52 pm

Governor Gavin Newsom, California High Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri, Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez, and other local dignitaries and Rail officials attended a track laying ceremony in the Kern County town of Shafter on Monday. The first high-speed train rails in the system were installed despite the project being well over a decade behind schedule, and over $100 billion over budget.

Originally estimated to cost $33 billion in 2008 with a San Francisco to Los Angeles line set to open by 2028, the California high speed rail system has since ballooned to costing $128 billion, to $135 billion, with an estimated partial completion being set somewhere in the 2030’s. Last year in March, the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHRSA) confirmed that the system still needed $100 billion to link up San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Since March 2024, the “$100 billion behind” number has remained largely unchanged. But the grand scale of the project has only invited more criticism. Following Donald Trump’s victory last month and his proposal of forming the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the cost of the High Speed Rail project has once again fallen under federal crosshairs. Previously, Trump cancelled around $1 billion in funding for the project when he was still in his first term, only for President Joe Biden to bring it back, along with an extra $300,000.

DOGE Co-Commissioner Vivek Ramaswamy has confirmed that they will be looking at removing all-funding from the California High Speed rail project.  Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) has also introduced a bill to eliminate federal funding for the failed California High-Speed Rail project. In either situation, the cancellation would amount to at least $8 billion in potential federal funding. Democrats have also mobilized, scrambling to pass as many grants for the program as possible before Trump takes office.

On the physical construction side of the project, the process has been extremely slow thanks to all the legal issues and land hurdles. Major delays occur distressingly often, and milestone projections keep being moved farther back. The CHSRA only approved the Bakersfield and Merced lines in 2022, with the environmental impact report also passing just recently. Currently, the 119 mile section between Bakersfield and Merced is scheduled to open in 2032 at the very earliest, with passenger service projected for 2033.

Despite the entire project being decades behind, the track laying ceremony went ahead as planned on Monday. There, Newsom and others hammered in a symbolic strike, marking the start of the railhead.

“No state in America is closer to launching high-speed rail than California – and today, we just took a massive step forward,” Newsom said at the ceremony. “We’re moving into the track-laying phase, completing structures for key segments, and laying the groundwork for a high-speed rail network. The future of transportation is being realized right here in the Central Valley with thousands of good paying jobs already created and 171 miles being worked on. As only California can, we’re building America’s biggest infrastructure project.

“The high-speed rail effort has created 14,500 jobs. This is not just a transportation project. It’s a transformation project.”

Unusually, Newsom also addressed criticism of the high-speed rail project, and proceeded to outright dismiss those calling for the project to be halted.

“We can’t go back,” added the Governor. “We just have to accept responsibility for where we are and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Newsom also noted that the state currently has $22 billion of the needed $33 billion to complete the initial Central Valley segment, with train set selection and station construction coming soon. In addition, cooperative agreements with the High Desert Corridor and Brightline West to link the California system all the way to Las Vegas were also said by the Governor to be in the final stages of approval.

The Kern County Ceremony

“Today we’re recognizing the system’s progress and looking ahead as we advance important partnerships and track work that moves us closer to operations while putting Californians to work,” CHRSA CEO Choudri added. “We’re committed to working collaboratively and ultimately developing a modern, interstate high-speed rail network that will not only boost ridership in the Southwest part of the country but bring to the forefront the possibility of delivering high-speed rail benefits sooner.”

However, many prominent lawmakers from the area refused to attend the event to voice their opposition against high-speed rail, making the dignitary list somewhat small. Most not attending have continued to call for the end of the project, and spoke out against it on Monday and Tuesday.

“Kern County is part of a pattern of political theatrics deflecting from the governor’s actions in Sacramento,” said Congressman Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield). “Precious tax dollars need to be used for projects that will actually improve the lives of Californians, such as enhancing rural road safety projects and supply chain infrastructure, building water infrastructure and preventing catastrophic wildfires instead of throwing money into another mismanaged pipe dream.”

Transportation industry accountant Derrick Clark also noted to the Globe on Tuesday that “The high speed rail project has just stubbornly refused to die despite it costing California so much. But, the problem for advocates is that there is still time to cut losses, and many are banking on the Trump administration to take away enough funding and add in enough federal pressure to end it. This is why everyone is rushing to get as much done now as fast as possible.

“We’ve seen it with so many transportation and infrastructure projects. There’s a big project that has gone overbudget, a big delayed project or a white elephant project that is in danger of being shut down, so everyone scrambles to get to a point and try to claim that they have gone past the point of no return. For high-speed rail advocates, that is the Bakersfield to Merced stretch. And the rail ceremony on Monday was, in addition to being a legitimate milestone, also a hopeful checkpoint for them.”

More high-speed rail actions are expected to be announced later this year, including a possible removal of federal funds by the incoming Trump administration.