California authority disputes FRA's 'misleading' report on high-speed rail project

Termination of the California High-Speed Rail Authority's (CHSRA) federal funding for the construction of a high-speed rail line in the Central Valley is "unwarranted and unjustified," authority CEO Ian Choudri has told Federal Railroad Administration officials.

In a June 12 letter to FRA Acting Administrator Drew Feeley, Choudri said the recent FRA report on the agency's investigation into the project was “nothing more than rhetoric aimed at justifying a preordained conclusion." Choudri's letter disputes each of the FRA’s core findings and touts the project’s construction progress and funding plan.

"I must also take this opportunity to dispute, in the strongest possible terms, the misleading claim that the authority has made ‘minimal progress to advance construction,’” wrote Choudri. “The authority’s work has already reshaped the Central Valley. We have built many of the viaducts, overpasses, and underpasses on which the first 119 miles of high-speed rail track will run.”

Major structures completed include the 4,741-foot San Joaquin River viaduct in Fresno and the Hanford viaduct in Kings County. A rail yard for materials laydown and logistics to allow for high-speed rail construction is under construction and scheduled for completion this year, CHSRA officials said in a press release.

The authority also rejected the FRA’s claim that it lacks a plan to close a projected $7 billion funding gap, pointing to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed extension of California’s Cap-and-Trade program that would guarantee at least $1 billion annually through 2045. Additionally, the authority noted its forthcoming request for expressions of interest to engage private partners for potential innovative and creative partnerships that could improve cost and schedule of project delivery.

Click here to read the letter in its entirety.