Along with new oversight for a project that has long struggled to stay on track, the budget frees up the final portion of a $9.95 billion bond sale approved by California voters in 2008 to pay for trains that travel more than 200 mph between Northern and Southern California. The appropriation ended a legislative impasse that had delayed funding for the project, but falls short of the tens of billions of dollars needed to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco, according to the most recent timeline, by 2040. Expectations now are that the Central Valley section, at least, would start operating by the end of this decade. Observers welcomed budget language that appointed an inspector general with authority to audit, review and oversee the rail project. But even that hasn’t silenced critics who still complain that the project has been mismanaged for years. Rep. Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, said in a statement that the project is a “far cry” from the plan approved by voters 14 years ago. Even so, he disagreed with characterizations of the project as a “train to nowhere,” adding, “the Central Valley is somewhere important and I look forward to seeing the completion of the section.” Sharp criticism came from Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, who said in an interview billions of dollars continue to flow into a structurally flawed project that lacks transparency and is plagued by failures. “It’s abundantly clear that the governor and Democratic lawmakers didn’t heed the warning about how problematic this project is,” Fong said, also noting that other measures in the budget are expected to reduce road capacity in California by taking some offline highways. The California High Speed Rail Authority said in a statement Friday that it is grateful for the governor’s and Legislature’s support for an electrified two-track section with a new, combined station in downtown Merced that connects Amtrak’s San Joaquins service with the Altamont Corridor Express. He also supported the appointment of an inspector general to the semi-independent government agency. “The Authority supports the independent oversight and reporting requirements in this legislation to keep both the Legislature and the public informed of project progress,” CHSRA said. Appreciation for the state’s latest investment in the project was also expressed by the US High-Speed Rail Coalition, which in a press release Thursday praised Newsom. “California’s political leaders have listened to voters and rallied around the future of high-speed rail,” said coalition co-chair Ray LaHood, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The coalition’s announcement noted a recent poll by the University of California at Berkeley and the Los Angeles Times found that 56 percent of California voters continue to support building high-speed rail.
