‘Transformative’ California Rail Project, Maligned by All, Keeps Chugging Along
The CEO of the California High Speed Rail Authority had to take on all comers during an oversight hearing in the state assembly on Wednesday afternoon.
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Analyst: California Bullet Train Plans May Be Too Ambitious
The agency tasked with analyzing legislation has found the embattled California high-speed rail project has immediate- and long-term funding issues, boasts an “ambitious” construction schedule that potentially rests on overly optimistic assumptions and may have violated the spirit of the voter-approved plan by outsourcing too much to the private sector.
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Bay Area Cities Grill Bullet Train Managers on At-Grade Crossings
As California’s bullet train chugs toward its destination of realizing a connection between California’s largest metropolitan areas in the north and south, one impediment continues to loom – grade separations.
Read moreSalvini Pulls Support for Italian Coalition, Calls for Snap Polls
Far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini pulled his support for Italy’s governing coalition on Thursday and called for snap elections, prompting the country’s premier to demand that he “justify” his decision to provoke a political crisis.
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Feds Give California Green Light for Bullet Train Environmental Review
Plagued by a spate of setbacks and a federal government hostile to its mission, the California High-Speed Rail Authority was desperate for some good news.
Read moreCalifornia Sues Feds to Keep $1 Billion for Bullet Train
California sued the Trump administration in federal court Tuesday to block cancellation of a nearly $1 billion in funding for the high-speed rail project.
Read moreFeds Cancel Nearly $1 Billion for California High-Speed Train
The Trump administration said Thursday it would pull nearly a billion dollars in federal funding for California’s much-maligned high-speed rail project, terminating an agreement that previously awarded the Golden State another $2.5 billion for the plan.
Read moreCost of Central Valley Bullet Train Spikes by $1.8 Billion
The California Legislature heard Wednesday that the price tag for building the embattled high-speed rail project through the Central Valley went up again, this time by $1.8 billion.
Read moreCalifornia Bullet-Train Agency Eyes Central Valley-Only Service, for Now
The California High-Speed Rail Authority indicated Tuesday it is likely to recommend approval of interim rail service connecting Central Valley cities before expanding the service to Los Angeles and San Francisco as funding becomes available.
Read moreGOP Seeks Clawback of California Bullet Train Funds
A Republican member of California’s congressional delegation introduced a bill Wednesday that would require California to return the approximately $3.5 billion in federal funds already spent on the state’s embattled high-speed rail project.
Read moreTrump Demands Return of Federal Dollars Spent on Bullet Train
Adding to the long list of obstacles blocking California’s bullet train designs, the Trump administration announced Tuesday it was nixing $929 million in federal funding for a project meant to connect the state’s largest cities by high-speed rail.
Read moreNewsom Vows New Direction for California Bullet Train
The demise of California high-speed rail may have been greatly exaggerated in the immediate aftermath of Governor Newsom’s first major speech: He says now he favors a more focused, cost-controlled approach.
Read moreNewsom Pulls Plug on LA-San Francisco Bullet Train in State of State Speech
California Governor Gavin Newsom used his first State of the State address Tuesday to drop twin bombshells: He wants to dramatically downsize the $77 billion high-speed rail project and his predecessor’s dream of a gigantic pair of tunnels delivering water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Read moreBrown Talks Legacy, Future of Politics in ‘Exit Interview’
Outgoing California Governor Jerry Brown visited the Sacramento Press Club Tuesday, using the event to reflect on his five decades of public service, his accomplishments in the Golden State’s government, and the future of political discourse in the United States.
Read moreCost Overruns, Poor Oversight Plague California Bullet Train
The California State Auditor rebuked the agency in charge of implementing the state’s high-speed rail project Thursday, finding lack of planning and poor oversight has led to cost overruns plaguing the Golden State’s efforts.
Read moreBritish Columbia Joins Washington State in Study of High-Speed Rail
A high-speed rail line connecting Seattle and Portland with Vancouver, British Columbia, could be a possibility, as Washington state’s governor and British Columbia’s premier promised more funding Friday to study such a project.
Read moreCalifornia Bullet Train Costs Soar to $77B; Opening Delayed
California’s planned bullet train, one of the nation’s largest infrastructure projects, just got a lot more expensive and will take years longer to come to fruition.
Read moreLawsuit Seeks to Derail Florida Passenger Train Project
Opponents of the nation’s only privately-funded passenger rail service sued federal transportation officials this week, seeking to derail an expansion of the project linking West Palm Beach to Orlando.
Read moreBrown Defends Pricey Projects in 16th & Final State of the State Speech
Fulfilling a constitutional duty for the 16th and final time, California Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday paraded the state’s wares in an annual address, defending big-ticket infrastructure projects and touting a remarkable economic comeback and commitment to fighting climate change.
Read moreCalifornia Bullet Train Cost Climbs by $2.8 Billion
The cost of the first phase of California’s high-speed rail project through the state’s Central Valley has soared by 35 percent to $10.6 billion, officials disclosed Tuesday.
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