{"id":2399593,"date":"2025-02-06T08:41:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T13:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-state-report-high-speed-rail-faces-6-5-billion-funding-gap-new-delays-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-06T08:43:30","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T13:43:30","slug":"california-state-report-high-speed-rail-faces-6-5-billion-funding-gap-new-delays-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-state-report-high-speed-rail-faces-6-5-billion-funding-gap-new-delays-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"California state report: High speed rail faces $6.5 billion funding gap, new delays &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-state-report-high-speed-rail-faces-6-5-billion-funding-gap-new-delays-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2399593&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The California \u200dinspector general \u200chas issued a report on the state&#8217;s high-speed rail program, revealing \u2062a $6.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-silent-on-california-reparations-proposals\/\" title=\"Newsom remains motionless on California&#039;s proposed reparations\">5 billion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/major-china-bill-puts-military-in-a-crunch\/\" title=\"Major China Bill Puts Military in a Crunch\">funding gap<\/a><\/a> adn a delay \u200bof over three years for the\u2063 completion of the \u200bfirst segment\u2062 of\u200c the project. The new target date for the \u2062project has been \u200dpushed back to 2031 due to an extended construction timeline in \u200bthe Central Valley. The \u2064report suggests that staying within a \u20642033 \u200ccompletion schedule is \u2062unlikely due to potential uncertainties in subsequent project phases. Republican Congressman Kevin \u200dKiley has introduced a bill to \u200chalt further federal funding for the program.originally approved by voters in 2008, the high-speed \u2063rail project aims to connect Merced and Bakersfield and eventually extend to \u200bmajor cities like \u200cSan \u2063Francisco and\u200d Los Angeles. The Merced-Bakersfield segment&#8217;s costs are projected between $32 \u2064billion and $35\u2063 billion, while overall estimates \u2064for the entire\u200c project reach as \u200bhigh as $135 billion. Filling \u2064the funding gap through federal grants seems increasingly \u200bdoubtful \u200cunder the \u2064current administration.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">California state report: High speed rail faces $6.5 billion funding gap, new delays<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1979240\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; The California inspector general tasked with reviewing the state&rsquo;s high speed rail program issued a new&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hsr.ca.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schedule-Engagement-Report-FINAL-A11Y.pdf\">report<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;stating the first segment is likely to be more than three years behind schedule and faces a $6.5 billion funding gap.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&nbsp;&ldquo;Based on our review of the latest project information, the 2030 target date has been&nbsp;pushed back to 2031, in part because the Authority has extended the timeline for completing&nbsp;construction that is currently underway in the Central Valley,&rdquo; wrote the Office of the Inspector General in its report. &ldquo;With a smaller remaining schedule envelope and the potential for significant uncertainty and risk during subsequent phases of the project, staying within the 2033 schedule envelope is unlikely.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Before the report&rsquo;s release, Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley had&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/california\/article_b0ba8d26-c197-11ef-9fda-af054fcf7684.html\">announced<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;a bill to eliminate further federal funding for the project.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The initial 171-mile project will run through the sparsely populated Central Valley and connect the cities of Merced and Bakersfield, with the goal to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">eventually add spurs<\/a> to this &ldquo;backbone&rdquo; that connect Merced to San Francisco and Bakersfield to Los Angeles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The first tracks were laid for the project, first approved by voters in 2008, at the start of January, highlighting the system&rsquo;s lengthy delays.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While estimates for the complete&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/california\/article_6484503c-cc90-11ef-bfb8-3b248c21316b.html\">statewide<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;project are as high as $135 billion, the inspector&rsquo;s office noted in an October report that the Merced-Bakersfield segment will likely cost between $32 billion and $35 billion. The California High Speed Rail Authority has expected that it would be able to fill its $6.5 billion funding gap for the initial segment through federal grants, but, as the inspector had noted, and as Republicans have reiterated, that appears unlikely, especially with the current administration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1979240\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1979240\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California high-speed rail report reveals $6.5 billion shortfall and delays<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2399594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/california-high-speed-rail-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4045,9419,49920,47655,8068],"class_list":["post-2399593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-california","tag-delays","tag-funding-gap","tag-high-speed-rail","tag-transportation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/california-high-speed-rail-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2399593"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2399601,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399593\/revisions\/2399601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2399594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2399593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2399593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2399593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}