After 25 Years and Billions in Federal Subsidies, not a Single Train Operating in California

Sen. Cruz Investigation Reveals Wasted Federal Funds on California High-Speed Rail

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released a supplemental investigative report examining how, despite billions of dollars in state and federal funding, California's high-speed rail is nowhere close to functioning. Instead, gross mismanagement by California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, has led to countless delays and ballooning costs. After more than a quarter of a century and $6.8 billion in awarded federal funds, not a single high-speed train is operational in California. On July 16, 2025, the Trump administration announced it would terminate $4.2 billion in funding previously awarded to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) after the Federal Railroad Administration concluded CHSRA would not meet its commitment to begin operating by 2033 a 171-mile project segment between Merced and Bakersfield.

Last year, CHSRA further admitted that the Merced-to-Bakersfield line would not be profitable even once operational and therefore, incapable of recouping taxpayer dollars spent on its construction. As for the project's original promise of high-speed rail service between San Francisco and Los Angeles, CHSRA admits trains will not begin running until 2038-more than 12 years later than its original estimate. With this in mind, Congress acted this week to permanently rescind $929 million for California High-Speed Rail in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026.

Chairman Cruz's supplemental account builds on the findings of a report he released last month, which detailed how the Obama-Biden administration pressured Amtrak to jointly acquire a high-speed trainset with the California High-Speed Rail Authority-ultimately leading to delays and flawed design specifications for Amtrak's NextGen Acela trainset.

Discussing the report, Sen. Cruz said: "The report exposes how, despite ballooning costs and delays, Governor Newsom and the Biden-Harris administration continued to pour billions of dollars into the non-operational and unprofitable California high-speed rail project. Democrats made false promises on high-speed rail, failing to take into account the project's practical challenges. I applaud the Trump administration for working with Congress to stop the frivolous waste of the hard-earned money of American taxpayers."

Read the full report HERE.

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