According to local Sacramento news media KCRA3, California’s frequently postponed and budgeted high-speed rail projects will require billions of dollars in additional funding to avoid further delays. [emphasis, links added]
An official from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office told lawmakers Wednesday at a transport budget hearing that according to KCRA3, an additional $7 billion in funding is needed to be provided for the development by June 2026, or the project may face further delays.
The project was originally in a $40 billion “bullet train” system connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco, which will be completed around 2020, However, the price surge has exceeded $100 billion, and the Bakersfield currency line of the system will not be completed until 2030 at the earliest.
“There is no specific plan to meet the approximately $7 billion gap, and we also think the gap may increase,” said Helen Kerstein, an official at the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, according to KCRA3.
“This is not a future funding gap. It's a very direct funding gap.”
According to KCRA3, Wednesday's hearing lasted for a long time as California's High Speed Rail Administration failed to submit a full updated report on time.
Representatives of the High Speed Rail Authority said they hope to present a full report some time this summer, which will stimulate some lawmakers in attendance.
“We don’t have plans, and there’s a good chance we’ll get worse and we have a very short time to solve the problem.” According to KCRA3, Democratic California Representative Steven Bennett said.
“This is not a good place for government input.”
California has spent about $14 billion on high-speed rail projects so far, but the state expects it will still need to spend at least $28 billion to finally complete the Bakersfield-Mercerced Lineaccording to KCRA3.
According to Fresno Bee, Los Angeles-San Francisco Line can only clear all necessary environmental review barriers in 2024, and according to Fresno Bee, a “pre-construction plan” for the Bay Area segment is underway.
As of September 2023, the state spent about $600 million in environmental review on the project despite little progress in completing the system and starting operations.
In addition, the Labor Union has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the project’s large number of beneficiaries.
Justin Chechnya/High-speed Railway Authority bullet train rendering
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