Locator: 48685BULLETTRAIN.
Updates
July 17, 2025: Trump won't further fund the California bullet train; at risk, $4 billion. Will end up in court, but the writing is on the wall.
Original Post
The link to this story is everywhere:
The Federal Railroad Administration’s Compliance Review Report, which includes a letter addressed to California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri, listed nine “broken promises” where the project allegedly breached terms outlined in its federal grants, including missed deadlines, funding gaps and a lack of adequate time and money to complete the project as promised.
This was not a partisan report. It was a review/report by the Federal Railroad Administration, a report that was begun and completed under the Biden and Newsom administrations. The report listed nine "broken promises" by the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
In addition, the report says that the project has run out of time and has run out of money -- with or with federal aid -- to meet the 2033 deadline.
US Sec of Treasury has given the CEO of the CHSRA thirty-seven (37) days to respond. Pending that response, $4 billion in federal money is being held in escrow. There is a way to "thread this needle" but politically Trump is not (yet) so inclined.
The CHSRA said the project is mostly funded by state money -- which suggests to me -- the state does not need federal money to complete the project. That money would simply be "nice to have."
If today is Day 0 and tomorrow is Day 1, then Day 37 should be ... 26 + 11 -- COB, Friday, July 11, 2025?
Everyone agrees that there's no way, as it stands now, that the CHSRA has found a way forward to meet their first deadline of 2033 -- almost another decade of politics and spending more money.
The response by the CHSRA reminds me of the response by the Biden apologists when anyone suggested the 46th president was struggling with significant mental decline. Deny, deny, deny.
