Latest news with #FederalRailroadAdministration
E&E News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
California sues to overturn revocation of federal high-speed rail grants
California sued the Trump administration on Thursday over its termination of $4 billion in federal grants for the state's high-speed rail project, calling the decision an illegal act of political retribution. What happened: Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, the day after President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the Federal Railroad Administration had revoked the Obama- and Biden-era grants and said the project would not receive a 'SINGLE penny' in federal funding ever again. That decision came after Trump threatened for months to claw back federal funding from the planned rail line connecting the Bay Area to Los Angeles, which has become a political punching bag for Republicans amid construction delays and cost overruns. Advertisement The filing argues that FRA's decision was 'arbitrary' and an 'abuse of discretion' that will cause economic damage to the state and the Central Valley, where the first leg of the route is being constructed from Bakersfield to Merced.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Brightline's South Florida ridership grows for first time in years and this is why
For the first time in about two years, the private passenger train Brightline is gaining riders in South Florida following its reintroduction of commuter passes for the tri-county area, but ridership in the region still lags far behind 2023 figures. More than 84,000 people rode Brightline between Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties in June, a 7% increase from one year prior, the company's latest ridership report published July 14 said. It was the second month in a row that Brightline's South Florida year-on-year ridership grew. A Brightline spokesperson credited this renewed growth in part to the new commuter pass it launched in May for South Florida riders — a 40-ride package with costs as low as $15 per ride — that is almost as cheap as the $10-per-ride program it killed in 2024. More: Brightline lost more than half a billion dollars in 2024, report says What's Brightline's new South Florida commuter pass again? Brightline killed its original South Florida commuter pass in June 2024 as part of a strategy to dissuade riders from that region in favor of filling seats with passengers paying higher fares to and from the company's Orlando International Airport station. But Brightline brought back the South Florida pass after it added two rail cars to each of its trains in April that it had bought with $33.8 million in tax money it received in January from the Federal Railroad Administration. The Biden administration gave the company the grant so it could revive its South Florida commuter pass. Brightline originally promised to do so by the end of March, but did not meet its deadline because the new rail cars were not delivered by then, the company has said. The South Florida program includes a 40-ride pass between the train's West Palm Beach and Miami stations for $599, or about $15 per ride. The price is the same between the Boca Raton and Miami stations. Brightline said in May, when it launched the new commuter pass, that it would be available in "limited quantities." Representatives for the company on July 16 did not answer questions on whether or when it would stop offering the pass. How much money is Brightline making? The train in June 2023 carried about 150,000 passengers up and down South Florida, almost double what it carried in the region in June 2025. Total ridership, including trips to and from Brightline's Orlando station, was nearly 255,000 in June. More than 164,000 people went to and from Orlando. Brightline brought in a total of $16.9 million in June, an 11% increase from one year prior. Revenue from Jan. 1 through June totaled $105.9 million, up 12% from the first six months of 2024. Brightline lost about $549 million in 2024, in large part due to paying $218 million to refinance its debt of about $4.6 billion. Chris Persaud covers transportation in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email news tips and ideas to cpersaud@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brightline's South Florida ridership grows for first time in two years Solve the daily Crossword
Newsweek
18-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
California Strikes Back at Trump Over High-Speed Rail Funding
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California has escalated its fight against President Donald Trump's administration after the federal government rescinded $4 billion in funding earmarked for the state's ambitious high-speed rail project. On Thursday, the California High-Speed Rail Authority filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, seeking to overturn the decision that state officials alleged was an "arbitrary and capricious abuse of authority." Newsweek has contacted the rail authority and Governor Gavin Newsom's office for more information via email. Why It Matters The lawsuit could determine the fate of the biggest high-speed rail project in the U.S. Losing federal funds threatens tens of thousands of jobs and could delay or derail the completion of the Central Valley segment. The outcome could also have a knock-on effect on transit infrastructure, particularly as the project's cost estimate has soared to $128 billion. What To Know The California High-Speed Rail Authority, joined by state Attorney General Rob Bonta, filed the lawsuit after the Federal Railroad Administration pulled $4 billion in grants originally designated for construction in the Central Valley. The complaint said the Trump administration's decision was "arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law." It added that the action could have severe economic implications for the state. The suit names U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and acting Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration Drew Feeley as defendants. President Donald Trump greeting California Governor Gavin Newsom at Beale Air Force Base in California on November 17, 2018. President Donald Trump greeting California Governor Gavin Newsom at Beale Air Force Base in California on November 17, 2018. Getty Images Newsom said in a statement shortly before the suit was filed, "California is putting all options on the table to fight this illegal action." Approved by state voters in 2008, California's high-speed rail was originally intended to link San Francisco and Los Angeles by 2020 at a projected cost of $33 billion. On Wednesday, Trump, who has been threatening to withdraw federal funding since the beginning of his second term, made the decision to withdraw $4 billion, branding the project a "boondoggle" that had been mismanaged by Democratic leaders in California. What People Are Saying California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement to Newsweek on Wednesday: "Trump wants to hand China the future and abandon the Central Valley. We won't let him. With projects like the Texas high-speed rail failing to take off, we are miles ahead of others. We're now in the track-laying phase and building America's only high-speed rail. California is putting all options on the table to fight this illegal action." California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri told Newsweek on Wednesday: "Canceling these grants without cause isn't just wrong—it's illegal. These are legally binding agreements, and the Authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025. "America's only high-speed rail project underway is fast approaching the track-laying phase, with 171 miles under active construction and design, 15,500 jobs created, and more than 50 major structures completed. This is no time for Washington to walk away on America's transportation future." What Happens Next California's lawsuit is set to proceed in the U.S. District Court, with initial hearings anticipated in the coming months. The California High-Speed Rail Authority plans to submit an updated funding strategy to state lawmakers and is seeking private investment and legislative backing for increased cap-and-trade support.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
California sues Trump administration over loss of high-speed rail funding
California's high-speed rail authority sued the Trump administration Thursday over its cancellation of billions of dollars in federal funding. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California by state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, comes one day after the Federal Railroad Administration pulled $4 billion from the project that was intended for construction in the Central Valley. The suit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and challenges the legality of the decision. The lawsuit calls the administration's actions 'arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law, and threatens to wreak significant economic damage on the Central Valley, the State, and the Nation." It names Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and acting FRA Administrator Drew Feeley as defendants and details President Trump's 'personal animus' toward the project and long-standing criticism of it. Trump previously pulled funding from the train during his first term. The suit calls the president's past statements over the project's budget as untrue. The project is about $100 billion over budget from its original proposal of $33 billion. Trump previously said it was 'hundreds of billions of dollars' more. 'Trump's termination of federal grants for California high-speed rail reeks of politics." Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Thursday. 'It's yet another political stunt to punish California. In reality, this is just a heartless attack on the Central Valley that will put real jobs and livelihoods on the line. We're suing to stop Trump from derailing America's only high-speed rail actively under construction.' The fast train to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles was originally expected to be completed in 2020. But while the entire route was environmentally cleared last year, no portion of the line has been finished and construction has been underway only in the Central Valley. The Trump administration initiated a compliance review in February after Republican lawmakers called for an investigation into the project and demanded that it be defunded. The 310-page review found significant failures in the project, citing budget shortfalls and missed deadlines in its assessment, and found 'no viable path' forward. In two letters disputing the findings, Ian Choudri, chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, said the review was filled with inaccuracies that misrepresented the project's progress. In early July, Choudri asked that the Federal Railroad Administration delay its decision and requested another meeting. Less than two weeks later, the Trump administration canceled the funds instead. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
The Sun
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
California to sue Trump over cancelled high-speed rail funds
LOS ANGELES: California will take legal action against the Trump administration after it cancelled billions in federal funding for the state's high-speed rail project, Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed. The governor accused the move of being politically motivated, stating it threatens jobs and progress on the only active high-speed rail construction in the US. 'Trump's termination of federal grants for California high-speed rail reeks of politics. It's yet another political stunt to punish California,' Newsom said. He added that the lawsuit aims to prevent further disruption to the project, which is expected to create 15,000 jobs. The rail line, intended to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco in under three hours, has faced repeated delays and budget overruns since its launch in 2008. Trump's latest decision follows a Federal Railroad Administration report indicating the initial phase would miss its 2033 deadline. 'Not a SINGLE penny in Federal Dollars will go towards this Newscum SCAM ever again,' Trump posted on social media, using a derogatory nickname for Newsom. This marks the second time federal funding has been withdrawn, after Biden reinstated it in 2021. Legal experts suggest that even if California wins the lawsuit, the funding loss will cause further delays. The US lags behind Europe and Asia in high-speed rail development, with the first fully operational line—connecting Los Angeles and Las Vegas—expected by 2028. - AFP
