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3w ago

California Lawmakers Push $1 Billion a Year for High-Speed Rail as Update Signals Delays and Possible Route Shift

State senators propose $1 billion in annual cap-and-trade funding to keep construction moving.

An aerial image shows construction workers building the Hanford Viaduct over Highway 198 and past agricultural fields as part of the California High Speed Rail (CAHSR) transit project in Hanford, California, on February 12, 2025.
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Overview

  • The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s new update targets initial Central Valley service in 2032 and pegs the Merced–Bakersfield segment at nearly $37 billion.
  • The authority outlined scenarios to reach Gilroy by 2038 for $54.4 billion or extend to both Gilroy and Palmdale for more than $87 billion, with local links needed to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
  • The update indicates Merced could be dropped from the early route in favor of Gilroy based on low ridership projections, a change that remains under consideration.
  • Project leaders say a long-term $1 billion yearly stream from cap-and-trade through 2045 would close the funding gap for the Central Valley segment.
  • Roughly 119 miles are under construction in the Central Valley as total costs are now reported above $120 billion and the federal government has rescinded $4 billion, prompting a state lawsuit.