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Yes, Mr. Secretary, there is a viable path for CA high-speed rail
Secretary Duffy tells how to get it done on Fox TV.
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation notified the California High Speed Rail Authority that it intends to claw back roughly $4 billion in federal funds for the Los Angeles – San Francisco high-speed line.
The public announcement: “No viable path forward.”
The report that went with the announcement outlines many challenges facing the project. Most are already well known. Yet one stands out: “Simply put, California has not empowered CHSRA with sufficient authority to ensure CHSRA can deliver the CHSR project efficiently.”
Reports have highlighted this problem for years, and New York Times pundit Ezra Klein regularly cites CAHSR as an example of a vital project that is hamstrung by a broken process. Many others have done the same.
In an appearance on Fox News to discuss the USDOT report, Sec. Sean Duffy claimed that he still supports high-speed trains in the U.S. “If you go to Europe, they have high-speed rail everywhere,” Duffy said. “And it works. Why it can’t be built in America—why it can’t be built in timeframes that work for the people who invest in these projects—makes no sense to me.”
In the same interview, Duffy discussed his plan to fix air-traffic control—a major infrastructure issue that has gone unaddressed for decades. “We have to build a brand-new air traffic control system,” he said. “It will require tens of billions of dollars. We can’t get started until Congress gives us the money.
“We have $12 billion in the Big Beautiful Bill [but] it is not enough. Also, we need Congress to clear the deck for me on permitting so that we can build fast.”
In talking about fixing problems at Newark Airport, Duffy added: “It’s amazing—when everyone cares and engages together and business CEO’s help us out—how fast things can get done.”
Thus, without intending to, Sec. Duffy pointed the path forward for getting high-speed trains running in this decade. California’s leaders, and the USDOT, must give the Authority the funds—and the power—it needs to get the project done.
This is the moment of truth. An all-in commitment by the State Legislature will create a tipping point for HSR in the U.S. For that to happen, though, the legislature must move beyond its current half-in approach, which leaves high-speed rail perpetually on the knife’s edge.
Here is what legislators can do to get the project on-track:
- Within the next 30 days, make a very public and unified commitment to getting trains running ASAP. Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, has made a good start.
- Create a steady, predictable funding source. Gavin Newsom’s cap and trade proposal is the immediate next step.
- “Clear the deck” for permitting and right-of-way acquisition.
If you live in California and want high-speed rail, you need to make it clear to Sacramento: Commit to high-speed rail and get it done.
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