Latest news with #highspeedrail
E&E News
2 days ago
- 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.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Huge setback for California's $128bn high-speed rail project after Trump cuts funding
Donald Trump has cut $4bn in federal funding for California 's high-speed rail project, calling plans to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles a 'train to nowhere'. The US president claimed the 'disastrously priced' train network was a 'boondoggle' led by the 'incompetent' California state governor, Gavin Newsom. Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday: 'To the Law abiding, Tax paying, Hardworking Citizens of the United States of America, I am thrilled to announce that I have officially freed you from funding California's disastrously overpriced, 'HIGH SPEED TRAIN TO NOWHERE.' He added: 'This boondoggle, led by the incompetent Governor of California, Gavin Newscum, has cost Taxpayers Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we have received NOTHING in return except Cost Overruns.' California's controversial high-speed rail project was first approved in 2008 as a project designed to shuttle riders between San Francisco and Los Angeles in under three hours. The Trump administration officially stopped all future federal funding for the rail line on 16 July. Voters originally approved $10bn for the planned two-phase 800-mile railway, slated to cost $33bn and be finished by 2020. The high-speed rail system was due to reach speeds of up to 220mph, with phase one connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles, and phase two extending north to Sacramento and south to San Diego. However, the project has been beset by funding challenges, cost overruns and delays and was recently projected to cost as much as $128bn. In June, a report by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) found that the project had missed deadlines and experienced budget shortfalls, including a $7bn gap needed to build an initial 171-mile segment between Merced and Bakersfield, California. It added that the project has not yet begun laying any track. FRA acting administrator Drew Feeley said the FRA made the 'unavoidable conclusion that CHSRA will not be able to deliver the operation of a Merced-to-Bakersfield corridor by the end of 2033' in a letter to California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri. Under the former president, Joe Biden, the Transportation Department awarded the project around $4bn. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy also called the high-speed rail project a 'boondoggle' in a post on X on Thursday. Mr Duffy said: 'Governor Newsom and California's high-speed rail boondoggle are the definition of government incompetence and possibly corruption. The price tag has gone from $33B to $135B with no completion date in sight. We could give every single LA & SF resident almost 200 free flights for that much. 'That's why TODAY we're pulling the plug on federal funding for this train to nowhere. I won't help Gavin Newsom waste your money!' Gavin Newsom said in a statement: '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.' Mr Newsom has led efforts to deliver the high-speed rail project since he became governor in 2018. CA High-Speed Rail said that cancelling the grants was 'wrong' and 'illegal' in response to the Federal Railroad Administration. It said: 'These are legally binding agreements, and the Authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025.'
France 24
2 days ago
- Business
- France 24
EU encourages sustainable journeys by rail: Are trains the future of travel?
Europe 12:07 From the show The EU is aiming to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030 and triple it by 2050. But harmonising rail networks across the continent is easier said than done. While some cross-border routes have opened in 2025, other projects have been hampered by a lack of infrastructure or investment, as well as vested interests in the EU member states. Our panelists discuss what it would take to change this situation – rail travel being a component of the EU 's stated goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
HS2 has suffered ‘significant cost' from legal challenges by public bodies
HS2 has incurred 'significant cost' because public bodies have launched nine legal challenges against it, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said. The Cabinet minister noted that in 'almost all cases', the courts have found in favour of the high-speed rail scheme between London and Birmingham. HS2 Ltd was given the power to construct the railway when the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act received royal assent in February 2017. The most recent of the nine legal challenges the project has faced from other public bodies since then was launched by North Warwickshire Borough Council in relation to the extension of the under-construction Bromford Tunnel. In May, the High Court rejected the council's bid for a judicial review. Since royal assent was obtained, there have also been 25 appeals relating to the HS2 planning regime. In a six-monthly written update to Parliament on HS2, Ms Alexander acknowledged it is 'right there are checks and balances embedded in our legal and planning systems', but expressed concern these are being used to 'frustrate the delivery of consented projects'. She wrote: 'The delivery of HS2 has continued during this period to be the subject of both legal and planning challenges, which have added significant cost, uncertainty and potential for delay.' She added: 'The Government continues to monitor this issue closely and will consider further interventions where appropriate, alongside its wider work on planning reform.' Ms Alexander also announced that she has lifted safeguarding on the majority of land protected for HS2's former Phase 2b eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds, which was cancelled in November 2021. Safeguarding is used to stop land from being developed in a way that would conflict with future schemes. More than 550 properties were acquired by HS2 Ltd ahead of the planned construction of Phase 2b's eastern section. Removing safeguarding means the process of selling them can begin. Former owners of property within the safeguarding zone, which was acquired by HS2 Ltd will be given the opportunity to buy it back at the current market value. HS2 has suffered repeated delays and soaring costs. Ms Alexander announced last month there was 'no route' to meet the target date of having HS2 services running by 2033. In her update to Parliament, the Secretary of State said her department is working with HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Wild to 'reset' the project, with the aim of providing an 'updated delivery baseline and funding envelope in 2026'. She went on: 'Until this work is completed, this Government is not in a position to say with confidence how much HS2 will cost or when it will be delivered. 'That is a deeply unsatisfactory position, but it is necessary to complete the hard work we have embarked upon.' HS2 was originally planned to run between London and Birmingham, then on to Manchester and Leeds, but the project was severely curtailed by the Conservatives in power because of spiralling costs. The first phase was initially scheduled to open by the end of 2026, but this was later pushed back to between 2029 and 2033. In 2013, HS2 was estimated to cost £37.5 billion (at 2009 prices) for the entire planned network, including the now-scrapped extensions from Birmingham. In June last year, HS2 Ltd assessed the cost for the line between London and Birmingham would be up to £66 billion.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
HS2 has suffered ‘significant cost' from legal challenges by public bodies
HS2 has incurred 'significant cost' because public bodies have launched nine legal challenges against it, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said. The Cabinet minister noted that in 'almost all cases', the courts have found in favour of the high-speed rail scheme between London and Birmingham. HS2 Ltd was given the power to construct the railway when the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act received royal assent in February 2017. The most recent of the nine legal challenges the project has faced from other public bodies since then was launched by North Warwickshire Borough Council in relation to the extension of the under-construction Bromford Tunnel. In May, the High Court rejected the council's bid for a judicial review. Since royal assent was obtained, there have also been 25 appeals relating to the HS2 planning regime. In a six-monthly written update to Parliament on HS2, Ms Alexander acknowledged it is 'right there are checks and balances embedded in our legal and planning systems', but expressed concern these are being used to 'frustrate the delivery of consented projects'. She wrote: 'The delivery of HS2 has continued during this period to be the subject of both legal and planning challenges, which have added significant cost, uncertainty and potential for delay.' She added: 'The Government continues to monitor this issue closely and will consider further interventions where appropriate, alongside its wider work on planning reform.' Ms Alexander also announced that she has lifted safeguarding on the majority of land protected for HS2's former Phase 2b eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds, which was cancelled in November 2021. Safeguarding is used to stop land from being developed in a way that would conflict with future schemes. More than 550 properties were acquired by HS2 Ltd ahead of the planned construction of Phase 2b's eastern section. Removing safeguarding means the process of selling them can begin. Former owners of property within the safeguarding zone, which was acquired by HS2 Ltd will be given the opportunity to buy it back at the current market value. HS2 has suffered repeated delays and soaring costs. Ms Alexander announced last month there was 'no route' to meet the target date of having HS2 services running by 2033. In her update to Parliament, the Secretary of State said her department is working with HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Wild to 'reset' the project, with the aim of providing an 'updated delivery baseline and funding envelope in 2026'. She went on: 'Until this work is completed, this Government is not in a position to say with confidence how much HS2 will cost or when it will be delivered. 'That is a deeply unsatisfactory position, but it is necessary to complete the hard work we have embarked upon.' HS2 was originally planned to run between London and Birmingham, then on to Manchester and Leeds, but the project was severely curtailed by the Conservatives in power because of spiralling costs. The first phase was initially scheduled to open by the end of 2026, but this was later pushed back to between 2029 and 2033. In 2013, HS2 was estimated to cost £37.5 billion (at 2009 prices) for the entire planned network, including the now-scrapped extensions from Birmingham. In June last year, HS2 Ltd assessed the cost for the line between London and Birmingham would be up to £66 billion.
