Acting Federal Railroad Administrator gave the California High-Speed Rail Authority 30 days to submit an action plan.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a compliance review revealing the unsustainability of California’s high-speed rail project. Begun in 2008, the San Francisco to Los Angeles project has missed deadlines and is over budget with a $7 billion fund gap. The transportation secretary is proposing the cancellation of roughly $4 billion unless the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) can show the project is tenable.
“CHSRA has not learned from its mistakes and mismanagement and has therefore failed to create an organization capable of effectively and efficiently managing project delivery,” the report reads. “Despite the substantial scope reduction, the CHSR Project still continues to face numerous delays and cost overruns. At this rate, CHSRA will never complete the CHSR System.”
“What started as a proposed 800-mile system was first reduced to 500 miles, then became a 171-mile segment, and is now very likely ended as a 119-mile track to nowhere,” said Acting FRA Administrator Drew Feeley. “In essence, CHSRA has conned the taxpayer out of its $4 billion investment, with no viable plan to deliver even that partial segment on time.”
“This report exposes a cold, hard truth: CHSRA has no viable path to complete this project on time or on budget,” Secretary Duffy said last week. “Our country deserves high-speed rail that makes us proud – not boondoggle trains to nowhere.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Acting Federal Railroad Administrator Feeley as he seeks updates from the state’s authority on the project.
- For Secretary Duffy to be led by the Lord as he heads the Transportation Department and works to ensure efficient government investments.
Sources: Roll Call, Fox News, MSN, Newsweek, CBS News
