State budget sets aside $4.2 billion for high-speed rail between Bakersfield and Merced

Jul. 1—Money to complete a high-speed rail system between Bakersfield and Merced — $4.2 billion for construction, electrification and trains — made its way into the $308 billion state budget signed Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Along with new oversight for a project that has long struggled to stay on track, the budget releases the final portion of a $9.95 billion bond sale approved by California voters in 2008 to pay for trains traveling more than 200 mph between Northern and Southern California.

The appropriation ended a legislative impasse that had held up the project's financing, but it fell well short of the tens of billions of dollars needed to link Los Angeles and San Francisco, under the latest timetable, by 2040. Expectations now are that the Central Valley segment, at least, would begin operation by the end of this decade.

Observers welcomed budget language that appointed an inspector general with authority to audit, review and oversee the rail project. But even that did not silence critics who still complain the project has been mismanaged for years.

Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, said in a statement the project has fallen "way short" of the plan approved by voters 14 years ago. Even so, he took issue with characterizations of the project as a "train to nowhere," adding, "the Central Valley is somewhere important, and I look forward to seeing the segment's completion."

Stronger criticism came from Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, who said in an interview billions of dollars continue to flow to a structurally flawed project that has lacked transparency and been plagued by failures.

"It's absolutely clear that the governor and legislative Democrats haven't heeded the warning of how problematic this project is," Fong said, noting as well that other measures within the budget are expected to reduce road capacity in California by taking some highways offline.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority said in a statement Friday it was grateful for the governor's and the Legislature's support for an electrified, two-track segment with a new, combined station in downtown Merced connecting Amtrak San Joaquins service with the Altamont Corridor Express.

It also backed the appointment of an inspector general over the semi-independent state agency.

"The Authority supports the independent oversight and reporting requirements in this legislation to keep both the Legislature and the public well informed on the project's progress," the CHSRA stated.

Appreciation for the state's latest investment in the project was also voiced by the U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition, which in a news release Thursday praised Newsom.

"California's political leaders listened to voters and stepped up for the future of high-speed rail," stated the coalition's co-chairman, Ray Lahood, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The coalition's release noted a recent poll by the University of California, Berkeley and the Los Angeles Times found 56 percent of California voters continue to back construction of high-speed rail.