5 days ago
High-speed rail off the tracks? Federal grants for project may be revoked
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that California's high-speed rail project has, 'no viable path forward.'
The project — approved by voters in 2008 — has long been under fire for lengthy delays and billions of dollars over budget. That argument is nothing new.
But now, critical federal grants could be revoked.
'California High-Speed Rail. No viable path. We just released a report today, 300 pages, about how bad this project actually is. 15 years, $16 billion, not one high speed track has been laid,' said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a video posted to the social media platform X.
Duffy released the bombshell announcement, one that could send plans for California's high speed rail project off the rails.
'We have $4 billion on the line in this project,' the secretary continued in the video.
That federal funding is now on the chopping block for California, as DOT said the project has violated terms of the federal grants, such as 'missed deadlines, budget shortfalls and overrepresentation of projected ridership.'
This letter from Duffy to California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri is part of a more than 300-page report — The Federal Railroad Administration's Compliance Review Report.
'I agree with everything that's in the letter,' said Ahron Hakimi, executive director of the Kern Council of Governments.
'Less than an hour to downtown L.A. That was very quickly another example of a promise by high-speed rail,' Hakimi added.
Ahron Hakimi has been in the transportation industry for nearly four decades. The Kern Council of Governments is a group of city and county electeds that address regional transportation.
'When you bring a brand new rail line over a city that's well over a hundred years [old], it creates many disruptions. Wasco's a great example of that. It cuts off existing streets, it cuts off existing utilities.'
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Authority wrote, 'The Authority strongly disagrees with the FRA's conclusions, which are misguided and do not reflect the substantial progress made to deliver high-speed rail in California. We remain firmly committed to completing the nation's first true high-speed rail system connecting the major population centers in the state. While continued federal partnership is important to the project, the majority of our funding has been provided by the state. To that end, the Governor's budget proposal, which is currently before the Legislature, extends at least $1 billion per year in funding for the next 20 years, providing the necessary resources to complete the project's initial operating segment. The Authority will fully address and correct the record in our formal response to the FRA's notice.'
High-speed rail, often a topic split along party lines, with an adamant Governor Gavin Newsom leading Democrats.
'We're kind of too far in to abandon this project completely, said Christian Romo, chief of staff to Kern District 5 Supervisor Leticia Perez.
Romo said while he and many Democrats, including Perez, agree the project has taken too long and too much, he hopes to reap the once-promised gains.
'We'd like to prioritize the benefits of this. The job growth, the workforce development,' he added.
According to the Authority, the project has created more than 15,300 'good paying' construction jobs for residents, with over 97% being filled by Californians, and 70% by Central Valley residents.
And, in Kern County, 2,790 good paying construction jobs have been created.
But Republicans maintain enough is enough.
'It didn't come, and I don't see it coming, said Kern District 3 Supervisor Jeff Flores.
Flores added, 'Not to be pessimistic, but to protect the taxpayer dollar, to protect Kern County's interest.'
Bakersfield has already seen physical impacts in anticipation of tracks being laid down.
The Bakersfield Homeless Shelter on East Truxtun has been in the process of relocating now for years.
'For many years, my predecessor was unable to do capital improvements to this property because the lingering unknowing of high-speed rail,' said Lauren Skidmore, CEO of The Open Door Network.
'The property continued to get dilapidated, we continued to have infrastructure issues, and now we're at a point where we absolutely need to move this campus,' Skidmore added of the longtime limbo they were in.
In 2019, the Authority purchased the property for $6 million. Skidmore said they've been leasing the property for the homeless shelter ever since.
Their migration to the new and improved facility is underway, though more costly than anticipated.
Just this Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved $1 million in funding for the new shelter. But they've only raised a little more than half the anticipated cost, Skidmore noted.
'I think we would've done things differently had we known high speed rail wasn't coming as quickly as we thought it was.'
Another example — the Golden Empire Transit announced in 2022 it would be relocating its facility Golden State Avenue, the planned site of the Bakersfield High Speed Rail Station.
That move has not happened yet.
Supervisor Flores added, 'The delay and the cost are so overbearing. How do we make it work?'
Flores, emphasizing that he's not holding his breath, as potential federal funding cuts would put the state project 'even further behind.'
'[We wouldn't be] abandoning actual segments because it hasn't come to fruition,' Flores pointed out, adding that California remains in a budget deficit crisis, as does Kern County.
'I don't think it's going to materialize. I don't think we can afford it,' Flores said, remarking that while he'd love to go to a Dodgers game in 30 minutes, the possibility no longer seems doable.
Local leaders aren't skimming over the effectiveness of high-speed rail. In fact, both Flores and Hakimi noted they've utilized the transportation technology internationally, like in South Korea and Europe.
'High speed rail is a great thing,' Hakimi stated. 'If it was delivered as promised, I would be a rider.'
Hakimi detailed that most physical impacts thus far of the project have been roughly Wasco north.
Current construction is on a 171-mile segment from Merced to Bakersfield, with testing anticipated in 2028.
The full high speed rail track aims to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco.
In January, temporary track — to transport materials to build the actual track — was laid down in Shafter.
The Authority has up to 37 days to respond, after which the grants could be terminated.
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