Trump administration to pull $4 billion from California high-speed rail funding
https://abc7.com/post/trump-administration-pull-4-billion-california-high-speed-rail-funding/16656635/
川普政府將從加州高鐵項目中撤回40億美元資金
加州弗雷斯諾——美國交通部表示,計劃撤銷對加州高鐵項目40億美元的聯邦資金,理由是該項目“沒有可行的前進道路”。
這一聲明是在週三發布的一份310頁報告中提出的,報告概述了對項目成本激增和延誤的擔憂,稱加州高鐵管理局沒有能力按計劃在2033年前交付早期運營段。交通部給予加州37天的時間回應並糾正問題,否則資金終止將成為最終決定。
選民最初在2008年批准了加州雄心勃勃的子彈頭列車計劃,承諾到2033年將大洛杉磯地區與灣區連接起來。該項目原預計耗資330億美元,但現在估計成本在890億至1280億美元之間。
項目於2015年在中央谷地開始建設,但進展緩慢。
交通部長肖恩·達菲在一則線上視頻中表示:“十五年,160億美元,沒有一條高鐵軌道建成。這個項目的浪費、濫用和管理不善促使了這次調查。”
交通政策專家承認該項目面臨重大財務障礙。SPUR高級顧問塞巴斯蒂安·佩蒂表示,由於資金有限,該項目難以兌現對選民的承諾。
佩蒂說:“這對本已相當稀缺的州交通資金造成了壓力。因此,如果加州繼續大力投資高鐵系統,將對灣區其他交通運營資金或可能的其他交通資本項目的資金可用性構成壓力。”
包括州議員在內的支持者認為,延誤令人沮喪,但削減聯邦資金將使情況惡化。州長加文·紐森此前承諾反擊,堅稱該項目將繼續推進,並將收回聯邦資金。
舊金山民主黨眾議員、前眾議院議長南希·佩洛西在一份聲明中表示:“加州一直是實現高鐵願景的領袖,以滿足勞動家庭的需求,同時尊重消費者、勞工和環境。遺憾的是,部長錯誤陳述了事實。”
加州高鐵管理局強調,該項目的大部分資金來自州政府。根據州長目前的預算提案,高鐵項目將在未來20年每年獲得10億美元,以完成其初始運營段。
高鐵管理局發言人表示:“我們堅定致力於完成全國首個真正的高鐵系統,連接州內主要人口中心。管理局將在對聯邦鐵路管理局通知的正式回應中全面解決並糾正記錄。”
FRESNO, Calif. -- The U.S. Department of Transportation says it plans to revoke $4 billion in federal funding for California's high-speed rail project, citing what it calls "no viable path forward."
The announcement came Wednesday in a 310-page report that outlines concerns about the project's ballooning costs and delays, claiming the California High-Speed Rail Authority does not have the capacity to deliver the early operating segment by 2033 as planned. The DOT gave California 37 days to respond and correct the issues before the funding termination becomes final.
Voters initially signed off on California's ambitious plans for a bullet train in 2008, with promises to connect the greater Los Angeles area to the Bay Area by 2033. It was originally expected to cost $33 billion, but now, estimates range between $89 billion and $128 billion.
Construction began in the Central Valley in 2015 but has incrementally progressed.
"Fifteen years, $16 billion, not one high-speed rail track has been laid. the waste, the abuse and the mismanagement of this project has called for this investigation," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an online video.
Transit policy experts acknowledge the project faces major financial hurdles. Sebastian Petty, a senior advisor at SPUR, said the project is struggling to deliver on promises made to voters, largely due to limited funding.
"It puts pressure on what are already fairly scarce state dollars for transportation. So if, California is going to continue to invest heavily in the high-speed rail system, it puts pressure on the availability of that funding for transit operations uses potentially for other transit capital projects in the Bay Area," Petty said.
Supporters, including state lawmakers, argue the delays are frustrating - but cutting federal funding would worsen the situation. Gov. Gavin Newsom has previously vowed to fight back, insisting the project will move forward and federal dollars will be recovered.
"California has been a leader in realizing the vision of high-speed rail to meet the needs of working families with respect for consumers, labor and the environment," Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said in a statement. "It is unfortunate that the Secretary has misrepresented the facts."
The California High-Speed Rail Authority emphasized that most of the project's funding comes from the state. Under the governor's current budget proposal, the rail effort would receive $1 billion annually over the next 20 years to complete its initial operating segment.
"We remain firmly committed to completing the nation's first true high-speed rail system connecting the major population centers in the state," a spokesperson for CHSRA said. "The Authority will fully address and correct the record in our formal response to the FRA's notice."