WASHINGTON — The California High-Speed Rail Authority will receive about $3.1 billion for projects to continue development and construction in the San Joaquin Valley, U.S. Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Jim Costa (D-Fresno) announced in statements on Tuesday.
The funds will come from the Federal Railroad Administration, under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program. It is the largest single infusion of federal money into the project since it was approved by voters in 2008, KTLA-TV reports.
“California takes great pride in our ambitious status as the leading edge of high-speed rail in America,” Pelosi said in a press release. With this new $3.07 billion in federal funding, we take an important leap closer to making high-speed rail a reality in California. An electrified high-speed rail network will dramatically improve the quality of life in the Central Valley and up and down California.” Costa, in his press release, said the grant represented a “significant investment to make major progress.”
The funds will provide for:
— Purchase of the system’s first six trainsets, as well as construction of facilities for rolling stock;
— Construction of the second track on the 119-mile segment from Madera to Poplar Avenue in Shafter;
— Construction of the station in Fresno;
— Final design, right-of-way acquisition, and utility relocation on extensions in Merced and Bakersfield beyond the initial 119-mile segment.
Announcement of the funding for the California project came on the same day that Nevada’s senators announced $3 billion in funding for the Brightline West high speed project between Las Vegas and Southern California [see “Legislators say Brightline West will receive …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 5, 2023].
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