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California has decided to withdraw its lawsuit against the Trump administration, which aimed to reclaim approximately $4 billion in federal funds that were retracted from the state’s much-anticipated high-speed rail project. This decision comes amidst the ongoing struggles and significant delays that have plagued the development of the multi-billion-dollar bullet train.
Rather than directly addressing the persistent challenges faced by the high-speed rail project, state officials have pointed fingers at the federal government, labeling it as an unreliable partner. “This action reflects the State’s assessment that the federal government is not a reliable, constructive, or trustworthy partner in advancing high-speed rail in California,” remarked a spokesperson from the California High-Speed Rail Authority in a statement to Bloomberg.
The lawsuit originally emerged after the Federal Railroad Administration decided to withdraw federal grants amounting to about $4 billion. This withdrawal was based on allegations that the California High-Speed Rail Authority had not made sufficient progress, as the project faced repeated delays and significant cost overruns.
As reported by Bloomberg, the state’s decision to withdraw the lawsuit is a pivotal moment in the ongoing saga of California’s high-speed rail ambitions, highlighting the complex dynamics between state and federal entities in large infrastructure projects.
According to Bloomberg:
State officials challenged the action in court, saying that the administration was violating binding grant agreements. But California has now opted to drop the case and press ahead without backing from the federal government under President Donald Trump.
The Federal Railroad Administration had warned that all work performed by the authority remained “at risk” of nonpayment, the spokesperson said, leading the state to conclude that the administration was unlikely to uphold its commitments.
The spokesperson for the state rail authority argued the federal government has slowed the project by “by adding cost and delays without adding value.”
“Moving forward without the Trump administration’s involvement allows the Authority to pursue proven global best practices used successfully by modern high-speed rail systems around the world,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles.
Approved by voters in 2008 with an expected $33 billion price tag, the project has blown up to an expected $128 billion price tag, according to the Bloomberg report.
“An inspector general report earlier this year found the system is unlikely to begin passenger service on its first segment by 2033 and faces a multibillion-dollar funding gap even before the loss of federal aid,” the report added.
President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have called the California high speed rail “a train to nowhere.”
“The Railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social in July. “This project was Severely Overpriced, Overregulated, and NEVER DELIVERED.”
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
