CALIFORNIA High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) CEO, Ian Choudri, has welcomed the announcement of state legislation that will provide $US 1bn a year until 2045 under what CHSRA describes as “the largest guaranteed infusion of funding for California’s high-speed rail programme to date.”
Agreement to provide state funding for the project follows the termination in July of two federal grants that would have provided $US 4bn for the first section of California’s proposed high-speed network, the 273.6km Early Operating Segment (EOS), which is now under construction from Merced to Bakersfield.
“This funding agreement resolves all identified funding gaps for the EOS in the Central Valley and opens the door for meaningful public-private engagement with the programme,” Choudri says.
“As we move forward, I am greatly encouraged by commitments to continue productive discussions with the administration and the legislature to put in place statutory and regulatory enhancements that accelerate construction and give greater certainty on time and schedule for segment delivery.”
“We must also work towards securing the long-term funding, beyond today’s commitment, that can bring high-speed rail to California’s population centres, where ridership and revenue growth will in turn support future expansion,” Choudri says.
On September 10, California governor, Gavin Newsom, Senate president pro tempore, Mike McGuire, and Assembly speaker, Robert Rivas, announced a major package of legislation including two bills, Assembly Bill 1207 (Irwin) and Senate Bill 840 (Limon), that will extend Cap-and-Invest, the state’s emissions trading programme. Both bills are currently at the committee stage.
Formerly known as Cap-and-Trade, Cap-and-Invest uses payments from those companies accounting for 80% of the state’s total emissions to fund carbon reduction projects, including investment in rail and local public transport. At the same time, it creates an economic incentive for polluters to invest in cleaner energy and more efficient technology.
“Today’s agreement has made a big, bold statement about California’s future, one that will create jobs, cut pollution, and connect and transform communities across the state,” Choudri say.
“I am grateful to governor Newsom, our legislative leaders, and allies across the state and the nation, including those in the labour community, whose partnership and resolve helped make this possible.”
Meanwhile, CHSRA reports that nearly 112km of high-speed alignment has been completed between Merced and Bakersfield, together with 58 structures. A further 29 structures are under construction.
Of the proposed 790.4km California high-speed network running from San Francisco in the north to Los Angeles and Anaheim in the south, 740.8km are “fully environmentally cleared and construction-ready,” according to CHSRA.
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