Staggering Expenses Unveiled: The True Cost of Gavin Newsom’s High-Speed Rail Project

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s ambitious high-speed rail project is facing significant financial hurdles, with experts predicting costs could soar to $126 billion without any track yet laid. Initially greenlit in 2008, the venture was supposed to be completed by 2020, with an original budget of $33 billion. Since its inception, the project has been a target of criticism, often mocked by figures such as Donald Trump.

Anthony Williams, a member of the state’s high-speed rail board, recently discussed the project’s financial trajectory in an interview with 60 Minutes. He indicated the costs could potentially quadruple by the project’s completion.

“With proper optimization, our current estimate stands at just over $125 billion,” Williams stated, adding, “The latest figure is around $126 billion.”

To put this into perspective, the projected expenditure exceeds the total funding Amtrak has received throughout its history, yet still leaves a funding gap of approximately $90 billion.

‘That’s more funding than Amtrak has received in its history and still leaves a shortfall of roughly $90 billion.’

Williams, however, said the state would be able to find a way to fill the shortfall by cutting costs and luring private investment.

Republicans, however, remain hugely skeptical, especially after Donald Trump announced he was canceling $4billion in federal grants for the train, calling it ‘the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen.’

Congressman Vince Fong called the entire project a ‘bait and switch’ that needs to be done away with. 

‘I think that the California High-Speed Rail nightmare is the probably quintessential example of government waste and mismanagement,’ Fong said.

Experts say California Governor Gavin Newsom’s high-speed rail debacle will likely balloon in cost to $126billion, without a single piece of track being laid yet 

The project has long been a strike against the ambitious liberal , frequently made fun of by Donald Trump, though it was approved in 2008 and originally scheduled to be finished in 2020

Toks Omishakin, California’s secretary of transportation, said that some of the criticism is valid.

‘I don’t think the voters fully understood and neither did we in the public sector what it was gonna take to actually get this project delivered,’ he said.

Sean Duffy, Trump’s Secretary of Transportation, said the project was a blight on the White House’s plans for a ‘Golden Age of Transportation.’

He said they won’t support ‘boondoggle projects like Newsom’s Train to Nowhere that wasted billions in taxpayer dollars yet delivered nothing to the American people.’

‘Under President Trump, America is building again. We defunded Newsom’s disaster and created the first Trump Infrastructure Dividend. Those dollars will now actually fund critical projects that enhance safety on rail networks across America.’

Newsom didn’t respond to 60 Minutes’ requests for an interview. 

When reached by The Daily Mail, a spokesperson for the California High-Speed Rail Authority disagreed with the framing in the media.

‘These claims ignore the facts on the ground,’ a spokesperson said while hyping the benefits of the project’s eventual completion, including ‘16,000 good-paying construction jobs’ and $25billion in economic impact.

The Authority also promised that the first installation will take place in the Central Valley later in 2026. 

The high-speed rail stations in the Central Valley will be huge – with wide platforms and sprawling plazas, as well as spacious parking lots

The high-speed rail is expected to run through farmland in central California

‘High‑speed rail anywhere in the world requires sustained investment and time,’ the spokesman said. 

‘Even so, California is now entering a new phase focused on accelerating delivery, expanding into population centers, and unlocking private investment.’

The state has put in another $20billion through 2045 to continue building. 

‘That work is underway, and it’s not stopping despite opposition and obstruction by the federal government.’

The high-speed rail was supposed to be the first of its kind in the US when it was approved in 2008. 

It was also supposed to be completed by 2020 and cost $33 billion, yet zero train tracks have been laid and estimates now say it will likely cost up to $128 billion. 

In 2025, Trump ridiculed the project and canceled several billion in government grants.

‘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,”‘ the president wrote on Truth Social. 

‘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.’

Brightline is constructing the California to Nevada bullet train ‘Brightline,’ which could be operational by 2026 and will be capable of transporting passengers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in just two hours

Eventually, the larger train project will run between Los Angeles to San Francisco and all the cities in between in a three hour journey, far shorter than the approximately seven hour drive

‘The railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will,’ the president’s post continued. ‘This project was severely overpriced, overregulated, and never delivered.’

The Transportation Department announced it was rescinding $4 billion in funding for the mega-project in recent weeks. Less than a quarter of the project’s funding came from federal coffers. 

In a press release, the DOT noted ‘the $135 billion projected total cost of the project could buy every San Francisco and LA resident nearly 200 roundtrip flights between the cities.’

The massive delays and cost overruns prove the California government highlight its ‘incompetence,’ Duffy said in a statement.  

‘It’s time for this boondoggle to die. President Trump and I will always fight to ensure your tax dollars only go to projects that accomplish great, big, beautiful things.’ 

California High Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri shared that the state would fight the administration’s move in court. 

‘These are legally binding agreements, and the authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025,’ he said in a statement. 

The railway authority claims 171 miles are under active construction and design, adding that over 50 ‘major structures’ have been completed since construction began in 2015.

Trump announced he was canceling $4billion in federal grants for the train , calling it ‘the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen’

Sean Duffy, Trump’s Secretary of Transportation, said the project was a blight on the White House’s plans for a ‘Golden Age of Transportation’ 

Passenger service, it estimates, will not begin until between 2030 and 2033. 

‘This was an ill-conceived and unnecessary project, and a total waste of taxpayer money — but no more!,’ Trump boasted.

Newsom is widely considered to be a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential race. 

He has publicly been challenging Trump on a myriad of topics, most recently filing a lawsuit challenging the White House’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles. 

That round went to President Trump, after a federal appeals court ruled unanimously that he acted within his authority to federalize and retain control of the state’s national guard.