In June, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) secretary Sean Duffy shared plans on Fox News to rescind $4 billion in federal funding from California’s high-speed rail system. The Trump appointed transportation secretary followed through in the FY26 appropriations bill.
To help make up for that shortfall, the state of California has pledged $1 billion annually on the high-speed rail program from cap-and-trade revenue through 2045, amounting to a $20 billion investment over the next 20 years.
This will help finance and realize four new stations designed by Foster + Partners and Arup in Merced, Fresno, Kings Tulare, and Bakersfield; and other vital works to move the project forward.
Ray LaHood, former U.S. DOT secretary under Barack Obama, applauded the Newsom administration for its commitment, saying: “The agreement represents the most important step forward to date for this transformational project.” Robert Pearsall, U.S. High Speed Rail’s California political director, likewise supported the initiative.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority, the entity driving the infrastructure project, said in a statement: “This agreement demonstrates that Californians are standing up to the Trump administration’s backward-thinking obstruction and choosing instead to invest boldly in the future.”
Ian Choudri, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, said the commitment will “create jobs, cut pollution, and connect and transform communities across the state,” adding, “This funding agreement resolves all identified funding gaps for the Early Operating Segment in the Central Valley and opens the door for meaningful public-private engagement with the program.”
Choudri affirmed that “we must also work toward securing the long-term funding—beyond today’s commitment—that can bring high-speed rail to California’s population centers, where ridership and revenue growth will in turn support future expansions.”
Already, 70 miles of guideway have been built, 58 structures are completed, and 29 more structures are underway from Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare Counties.
Train stations by Grimshaw Architects between Los Angeles and Las Vegas are in the design phase. Moreover, 463 miles of the 494-mile San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim system have been fully environmentally cleared and are ready for shovels to hit the ground and for track to be laid.
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