WASHINGTON — Members of the House of Representatives are launching a new investigation into federal funding for the California high-speed rail project, James Comer, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced Tuesday.
Comer (R-Ky.) said in a press release that the committee wants to know if the California High-Speed Rail Authority “knowingly misrepresented the ridership projects and associated financial viability of the project,” and requested that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy arrange a staff-level briefing, documents, and communications related to the topic.
“The Authority’s apparent repeated use of misleading ridership projections, despite longstanding warnings from experts, raises serious questions about whether funds were allocated under false pretenses,” Comer said. “The massive cost overruns and lack of progress warrant a reassessment of whether CHSRA acted with transparency and complied with the law.”
Comer’s release said the cost of the project, estimated at $33 billion when approved by California voters in 2008, has now risen to $89 billion to $128 billion.
In July, the Federal Railroad Administration announced it was terminating some $4 billion in previously allocated federal funding for the California project that had not yet been spent, with Duffy citing the “mismanagement and incompetence” of the Authority [see “FRA kills funding …,” Trains.com, July 16, 2025]. That followed an FRA compliance review that said the project had failed to comply with terms of its grants in nine key areas [see “Report says California high speed project …,” Trains.com, June 4, 2025].
The California High Speed Rail Authority has sued to block the decision, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom saying the FRA decision is “motivated by President Trump’s personal animus toward California and the high-speed rail project, not facts on the ground.” [See “California sues FRA …,” Trains.com, July 18, 2025].
The clawback’s were based on common sense Governor Gavin, based on the concept that continued pouring of funds down a seemingly bottomless pit will continue to disappear into oblivion unless someone slams on the brakes. Since you, as the Chief Financial Officer and CEO for the State of California allowed this to happen on your watch, your words to everybody else ought to be, “LOOK OUT BELOW…” This is a failure of epic proportions. And he wants to run for President. God Help us…
Comer will grandstand as usual, whining, ranting, finger pointing and another circus will start in Washington, D.C.
This is already a circus…
I think it would be easier to defend California High Speed Rail if they had, maybe, built some by now…
It’s about time a reliable group dug into this!
Let me know when such a “reliable group” is empaneled. /me is not holding my breath.
A reliable group, and congress, should look into this…
Ridership projections were off the charts. I don’t recall these (this was covered in these pages some months ago). Something like twice Amtrak NEC, something like almost all of Amtrak, I really can’t say for sure.
What a fraud.