Extra US$4.2bn for California high-speed rail

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has received US$4.2 billion from California’s new US$307.9 billion state budget. The project, a high-speed rail connecting northern and southern California, was initiated back in 2008 and was originally scheduled to open in 2029, but it has been beset by a number of delays and disagreements.

A budget surplus meant that the California legislature was able to come to an agreement last week and release US$4.2 billion in bond funds that would be used to finish the 171 mile Central Valley line.

It was estimated at the start of the project that it would cost a total of US$33 billion but slow land purchases, delays and litigation mean very little has been done on the project over the last 14 years.

The railway project is now anticipated to cost more than US$113 billion and there is no funding reported for further connections between Bakersfield and Los Angeles or San Jose and Merced.