California high-speed rail project denied round of mega grant funding
SACRAMENTO - Is the train to nowhere finally getting somewhere?
After missing out on federal grant money the California high-speed rail's status is in question.
California's high-speed rail authority officials are confident in what the next year will bring to California. Construction continues in the Central Valley, but with federal funding being a big component of the completion of the controversial project, is there a cause for concern that the Biden administration said not this time?
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is missing out after the Biden administration announced funding for nine transportation projects and California's bullet train wasn't on the list.
An authority spokesman told CBS13 that "while it is disappointing not to receive a mega grant this round, only nine recipients nationwide were awarded funding out of the hundreds that applied."
The two grant applications totaled over $1 billion in federal funding. So does that hurt the so-called train to nowhere? Some of that money would be allocated toward new stations, and trains linking Merced to Bakersfield.
Currently, 119 miles of track are under construction. The grant money could've accelerated the extension to 171.
The track is still on track though.
Between Bakersfield and San Francisco, 422 of 500 miles are environmentally cleared and the authority feels confident in the next round, saying in a statement: "In strong partnership with the federal government, we look forward to being competitive on many projects in the next round of grant applications."
The next round of grant applications is due in April, but in the meantime, the authority is set to celebrate the creation of 10,000 jobs in the Central Valley as a result of the project.
The remaining 78 miles of track that hasn't been environmentally cleared are from Palmdale to Los Angeles. The L.A. to San Francisco line is phase 1 while the second phase of construction would include an extension that would reach Modesto, Stockton, and eventually, Sacramento.
