Fresno Bee
While the California High-Speed Rail Authority seeks new federal money for Central Valley construction, the Trump administration says it will instead help build “real” rail — including other high-speed rail projects.
In a statement to The Fresno Bee, a U.S. Department of Transportation spokesperson said the Trump administration supports high-speed rail and is looking for opportunities to help build it around the country. The spokesperson also continued the administration’s criticism of California’s bullet train program, which recently applied for a $396 million federal grant to help build between Madera County and Merced.
“What this administration won’t stand for is boondoggle projects like (Gov. Gavin) Newsom’s Train to Nowhere that wasted billions in taxpayer dollars yet delivered nothing to the American people,” the spokesperson said.
In his own statement to The Bee, U.S. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, said the Trump administration is hindering the country’s high-speed rail progress by withdrawing federal support from the California project — which has been paid for mostly with state revenues thus far. He also called the description of the project as a “train to nowhere” as an insult to the Central Valley.
“This is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, and our communities deserve the same modern transportation infrastructure as every other part of the country,” Costa said.
President Donald Trump has long criticized the project’s Central Valley focus and its history of delays and cost increases. Last year, Trump-appointed Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy declared the project in default on two federal grant agreements and clawed back $4 billion. That money was earmarked for various Central Valley projects, including the downtown Fresno station, the Merced and Bakersfield extensions, and the acquisition of six train sets.
The California rail authority still has $242 million in federal money. The federal spokesperson did not say whether the Trump administration intends to try to rescind any of those dollars.
Trump admin. says money taken from CA rail will support ‘real projects’
The federal spokesperson said the Trump administration is “working to usher in a Golden Age of Transportation.”
“That vision includes high-speed rail and we’re exploring opportunities to efficiently build that infrastructure in America,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also pointed to Duffy’s announcement last year that the federal government would be reinvesting $2.4 billion of the money rescinded from California high-speed rail into the National Railroad Partnership Program. The money is slated for projects that improve safety on intercity passenger rail systems, such as grade crossing improvements.
“Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Duffy, these dollars will instead support real projects that improve the lives of rail passengers, local drivers, and pedestrians,” the spokesperson said.
It’s not clear whether any of that money has been awarded yet.
Fresno congressman, HSRA blast Donald Trump’s infrastructure investments
Costa said he remembers Trump often made large infrastructure deal promises during his first term that never came to be.
“We were going to have infrastructure week, then infrastructure month, and then it became a joke,” Costa said. “The Administration’s comments, given their history, offer no substance and instead focus on their politics of retribution — in this case, California.”
Costa added that high-speed rail has been successful in countries where the national governments have helped finance construction. He added that the Trump administration should look at the history of those rail systems if it “truly wants to build the next generation of transportation and not simply offer empty political rhetoric.”
In its own statement to The Bee, the California rail authority echoed Costa’s comments. The agency touted its construction progress in the Central Valley, where it says nearly 90 miles of guideway are complete and track laying will finally begin this year.
The agency is also pushing changes to state law that will allow it to spend more money on work outside the Central Valley and toward the Bay Area and Los Angeles County.
The agency says it is making progress “despite the noise coming out of Washington.”
“The current federal administration has continually failed to make real investment in infrastructure, instead playing political games and stifling progress,” the agency said. “Meanwhile, California is actively building the nation’s largest public infrastructure project and one of the most significant investments in clean, modern transportation in American history.”
