California Rail Prepares First Tracks as LA-San Francisco Cost Swells to $126 Billion
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 23
California Rail Prepares First Tracks as LA-San Francisco Cost Swells to $126 Billion
1 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 23
Summary
$126 billion is California's latest estimate to link Los Angeles and San Francisco, even as the state prepares to lay its first tracks only for a Bakersfield-Merced segment.
The scaled-back 171-mile Central Valley line is now targeted for 2033, far from the 2008 promise of a sub-three-hour statewide route by 2020 at $33 billion.
State officials said early plans underestimated right-of-way, environmental reviews and financing needs; about 3,000 parcels had to be negotiated for current segments alone.
The authority says state funds can cover the initial leg, but the full 494-mile system still faces a roughly $90 billion gap after Trump canceled $4 billion in federal grants in 2025.
The project has become a test of whether the U.S. can still build major public infrastructure, with private rival Brightline West also seeking federal backing for its own high-speed line.