Los Angeles – The Trump administration again targets the controversial railway project in California, where federal transport officials announced on Thursday the investigation and a possible withdrawal of about $ 4 billion in federal funding.
Voters first approved $ 10 billion of bond money in 2008 for a bicycle -designed project between San Francisco and Los Angeles in less than three hours. It was scheduled to cost $ 33 billion and end by 2020. But the project was suffering from financing challenges and exceeding costs and delay.
Now, state officials are focused over 171 miles (275 km) that connect the cities of Wadi Central Bakersfield and Morsid, which is scheduled to operate by 2033. The entire San Francisco line will cost to Los Angeles now with an estimated $ 106 billion to end and officials hope for Complete it over the next twenty years if there is money.
“I am directing employees to review and determine whether the Railways Authority in California) has followed the obligations that I have pledged to receive billions of dollars in federal funding. Transport Minister Sean Duffy said at a press conference in Los Angeles:
President Donald Trump Nearly $ 1 billion canceled In the Federal Federal Fund for the high -speed rail project in 2019, during its first term. The Biden Administration later recovered funding, and in December 2023, it allocated $ 3.3 billion.
Loss of these funds will be a big blow to the project. The most recent railway plan depends on receiving up to $ 8 billion in federal funds to help fill the financing gap.
Ian Chaudhry, CEO of the high -speed railway in California, who oversees the project planning and financing, said he welcomed the investigation.
“With the completion of the multiple federal and federal audit operations, each dollar is calculated, and we stand besides the progress and impact of this project,” said Chaudhry.
He said that the project has created nearly 15,000 jobs and that more than 50 main structures have been completed so far.
Many members of the Republican Congress have reached this project because of its costs. On Thursday, Republican Representative Kevin Kelly, who represents the third Congress area that extends alongside most of the state’s borders with Nevada and includes the northeastern suburbs of Sacramento, which is called the high -speed California railway, “the worst failure of public infrastructure in the history of the United States.”
“There is no reasonable scenario as the cost of federal or government taxpayers can be justified. It is time to stop, make the project not qualified for more federal funding,” said Kelly, who submitted a draft law earlier this year.
Kelly joined Duffy at the Los Angeles Union station to announce the investigation. The attendees sometimes boycotted by being booing by about 30 demonstrators. The demonstrators also chanted “Railways Building!” And the contract of banners reading “Ca has no king” and “Do not delay our train.”
Eli Lippien, CEO of Move La, an organization calling for effective public transport, said that the high -speed train project is still common among many California population.
“They said they would start the investigation, but they are a malicious investigation.”
Greg Rigan and Chari Selburger, President and Treasury Secretary of the Ministry of Transport coalition, which includes all railways in the country, said the project is the most ambitious and innovative project in the country and urged Trump to become “in-V-president by bringing high-speed railways to America. “
“The construction of ambitious projects is required and a commitment to the completion of the mission. On only last year, President Trump Complain The United States does not have similar bullet trains for Japan. “We agree with him that the time has come for our country to have these types of modern, effective and capable transportation systems,” they said in a statement.