California High-Speed Rail Reveals New Plan To Save Project
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The California High-Speed Rail project, long beset by rising costs, delays, and political conflict, revealed a new plan led by its recently appointed CEO, Ian Choudri, that relies on $1 billion in annual state funding combined with private capital to help keep the project afloat.
Choudri, who took charge of the High-Speed Rail Authority in August, explained during an interview at a transportation conference in San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, emphasizing the potential of public-private partnerships to move the rail initiative forward.
Why It Matters
While the construction of the California high-speed rail advances across the Central Valley, it has faced growing doubts from the federal government.
President Donald Trump has criticized the project, previously calling it a "waste" and a "green disaster." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has also expressed doubts, citing concerns over the escalating costs and extended timeline, both of which have exceeded initial projections.
An aerial image shows construction workers building the Hanford Viaduct over Highway 198 as part of the California High Speed Rail (CAHSR) transit project in Hanford, California on February 12, 2025.
An aerial image shows construction workers building the Hanford Viaduct over Highway 198 as part of the California High Speed Rail (CAHSR) transit project in Hanford, California on February 12, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
Choudri's proposal centers on securing $1 billion annually from the state's climate emissions program, a fund typically allocated to clean energy initiatives such as public transit and electric vehicles, the Chronicle reported.
"We are looking at state-level commitments so that we can bring private equity partners in," Choudri said in San Francisco while attending the American Public Transportation Association conference.
The approach aims to establish a stable base of government support that can attract private investors to finance the remaining costs as the project advances.
Industry partners see several revenue opportunities, including ticket sales and commercializing long corridors of railway rights-of-way. "There are significant ways to monetize (and) commercialize long linear rights of way," said Sia Kusha, senior vice president of Plenary Americas, which has experience in public-private infrastructure projects.
Another option presented by former chair of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association Dan Richard was the possibility of auctioning operational rights for the Central Valley segment after attracting an initial customer base—a strategy that has precedent in Japan's Shinkansen rail privatization, the Chronicle reported.
What People Are Saying
U.S. High Speed Rail Association former chair Dan Richard said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle: "There's always been a desire to have the private sector involved at the right time, when the risk is understood."
In a recent statement, the California High-Speed Rail Authority said: "Construction progresses every day on the California high-speed rail project. In addition to continued progress across the Central Valley, the Authority also announced the completion of four grade separations at Fargo Avenue and Whitley Avenue in Kings County, and at Belmont Avenue and Central Avenue in Fresno County...
"Since the start of high-speed rail construction, the project has created more than 15,300 good paying construction jobs, a majority going to residents of the Central Valley. As many as 1,700 workers are dispatched to a high-speed rail construction site daily."
What Happens Next
The rail project is moving into its tracklaying phase this year, following the completion of most of its central infrastructure, Newsweek reported previously.
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