{"id":2641246,"date":"2026-08-06T08:07:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngavin-newsoms-bungled-high-speed-rail-project-includes-zero-trains\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T08:09:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:09:31","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngavin-newsoms-bungled-high-speed-rail-project-includes-zero-trains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngavin-newsoms-bungled-high-speed-rail-project-includes-zero-trains\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsom&#8217;s Bungled High-Speed Rail Project Includes Zero Trains"},"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\">16<\/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%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngavin-newsoms-bungled-high-speed-rail-project-includes-zero-trains%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=2641246&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 article discusses the ongoing issues with CaliforniaS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-trump-religious-groups-begin-turning-up-heat-on-gop-to-take-action-on-marjorie-taylor-greene\/\" title=\"Pro-Trump, Religious Groups Begin Turning Up Heat On GOP To Take Action On Marjorie Taylor Greene\">high-speed rail project<\/a>, highlighting delays and mismanagement. Despite being approved in 2008 and construction starting in 2015, the project has yet to acquire the necessary trains, with federal deadlines missed and key milestones unmet. CBS News reports that a meaningful contract for trains, considered crucial for operational service, was not completed by the required date, indicating years of continued stagnation. The procurement schedule shows manny components,such as tunnels and maintenance facilities,remain undefined or delayed. Critics, including California Republicans, argue that the funds allocated-over $16 billion-are not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/brian-kemp-chides-trump-and-biden-ahead-of-2024-election-not-a-race-to-the-bottom\/\" title=\"Kemp warns Trump and Biden: 2024 election not a downward spiral\">producing tangible results<\/a> and should instead be used for essential infrastructure. The piece underscores that the project has become more of a political symbol and union benefit than a functional transportation system, with experts warning that the delays will prolong the project&#8217;s completion for years to come.  <\/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<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=atM_Ha5xt10\">KCRA 3 \/ YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/06\/gavin-newsoms-bungled-high-speed-rail-project-includes-zero-trains\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Gavin Newsom\u2019s Bungled High-Speed Rail Project Includes Zero Trains&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/06\/gavin-newsoms-bungled-high-speed-rail-project-includes-zero-trains\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Gavin Newsom\u2019s Bungled High-Speed Rail Project Includes Zero Trains&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/06\/gavin-newsoms-bungled-high-speed-rail-project-includes-zero-trains\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/06\/gavin-newsoms-bungled-high-speed-rail-project-includes-zero-trains\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Gavin Newsom\u2019s Bungled High-Speed Rail Project Includes Zero Trains&#038;body=&#039;High-Speed Rail did not dispute that it missed the deadline. It did not provide an explanation.&#039;%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/06\/gavin-newsoms-bungled-high-speed-rail-project-includes-zero-trains\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;Gavin Newsom\u2019s Bungled High-Speed Rail Project Includes Zero Trains&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A quite pleasant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/california-high-speed-rail-train-procurement-newsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">piece of reporting<\/a> from Julie Watts at CBS News adds a new wrinkle to a thing The Federalist has been <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/22\/gavin-newsom-finds-a-grain-of-sand-and-declares-that-he-personally-built-a-stunning-new-beach\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">saying for a while<\/a>: California\u2019s high-speed rail project is a political symbol plus a union giveaway, and no operational train system is coming anytime in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"7SjXfK3ZdNOUxDIhyau81p\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In February, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CAgovernor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@CAgovernor<\/a> Gavin Newsom described this busy new railhead and marshaling yard near Wasco as a major sign of progress in the state&#39;s high-speed rail project. Today: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zhsdk5TSs7\">pic.twitter.com\/zhsdk5TSs7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chris Bray (@a_chrisbray) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/a_chrisbray\/status\/2057331835479494711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 21, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Completing a contract for actual trains, Watts writes, was a \u201ckey milestone\u201d for a project that was approved in 2008 and began active construction in 2015. The failure to complete that step was an important signal, because federal grant requirements \u201crequired the rail authority to execute a\u00a0trainset contract by Dec. 31, 2024. California missed that deadline.\u201d <\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3062234467\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The trains have to be ordered well ahead of the need for them, Watts, because they take time to build, and have to be available for testing well ahead of opening for passenger service. So the absence of a contract for trains strongly implies many more years of nothing much. You need trains to provide rail service, Gavin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Doing nothing to cover an important piece of the project, state officials shrugged: \u201cHigh-Speed Rail did not dispute that it missed the deadline. It did not provide an explanation for the delays to CBS California Investigates. Instead, the authority pointed to public records, none of which acknowledge the delay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Going beyond the highly useful reporting from CBS News, take a moment to look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/hsr.ca.gov\/work-with-us\/procurements\/procurement-schedule\/\">procurement schedule<\/a> on the website of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. \u201cTunnels,\u201d for example, are \u201cTBD,\u201d with an expected completion date of \u201cTBD.\u201d Solicitation of proposals for trains is listed as having begun in 2023, but also has an anticipated completion date of \u201cTBD.\u201d And so on. \u201cMaintenance Facility\/Operations Control Center (OCC),\u201d also TBD.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The trade press has seen this problem coming for a long time. Back in March, the publication Railway Supply <a href=\"https:\/\/www.railway.supply\/california-high-speed-rail-train-contract-still-tbd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">warned<\/a> that delays in contracting for trains would slow the whole project: \u201cUntil the Authority selects a manufacturer and issues a notice to proceed, the project cannot begin the train-specific engineering and prototype work required before passenger service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California Republicans, who lack the numbers to do much about any of this, are <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenBrianJones\/status\/2084654660837617949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">calling for<\/a> the death of the project. \u201cThis money should be going toward real infrastructure that Californians actually need,\u201d Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones said on X.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s hardly breaking news to say it, but <a href=\"https:\/\/hsr.ca.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FA-Financial-Executive-Summary-June-24-2026-A11Y.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$16 billion and counting<\/a> has so far not bought Californians much of anything. At least no trains will be abandoned if they give up on the thing.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Chris Bray<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/chrisbray\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/boondoggle\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Boondoggle<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/brian-jones\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Brian Jones<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/californication\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Californication<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cbs-news\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CBS News<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Gavin Newsom<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/high-speed-rail\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">High-Speed rail<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/julie-watts\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Julie Watts<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trains\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">trains<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California high-speed rail faces delays, no trains yet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2641247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/laying-tracks-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[4045,47655,3902],"class_list":["post-2641246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-high-speed-rail","tag-infrastructure"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/laying-tracks-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641246","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\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2641246"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2641250,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641246\/revisions\/2641250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2641247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2641246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2641246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2641246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}