CALIFORNIA- The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Rail Authority released a letter today announcing they will be cutting $928 million from the California High Speed Rail Authority meant to be used for the delayed and maligned project. The original plan was meant for a train that would connect the Bay Area to the Central Valley down to Bakersfield.
The Rail Authority cites the reasons for their decision as the delay of the project, and change in original plan.
“After careful consideration, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has terminated Cooperative Agreement No. FR-HSR-0118-12-01-01 (the FY10 Agreement) with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), and will deobligate the $928,620,000 in funding under that agreement. The decision follows FRA’s Notice of Intent to Terminate and consideration of the information provided by CHSRA on March 4, 2019. FRA finds that CHSRA has repeatedly failed to comply with the terms of the FY10 Agreement and has failed to make reasonable progress on the Project. Additionally, California has abandoned its original vision of a high-speed passenger rail service connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles, which was essential to its applications for FRA grant funding. FRA continues to consider all options regarding the return of $2.5 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds awarded to CHSRA.”
Both Governor Newsom and President Trump hace traded jabs over the funding on Twitter since Newsom took office in January.
