WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has cancelled an additional $175 million in funding for four projects related to the California high-speed rail project, saying it determined that advancing the funding “ius not justified” after reviewing the projects and given the current state of the high-speed rail project.
“As of today, the American people are done investing in California’s failed experiment,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a press release. “Instead, my department will focus on making travel great again by investing in well-managed projects that can make projects like high-speed rail a reality.”
Cancelled are:
— An $89.6 million award to the California High-Speed Rail Authority for the Le Grand overcrossing project on the Merced extension;
— $54.5 million to the California Department of Transportation for the high-speed station in Madera;
— $24.7 million to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority for final track and rail systems design for the downtown extension project connecting the current Caltrain terminus at 4th and King to the Salesforce Transit Center;
— $7.5 million to the city of San Jose for a grade-crossing separation project at Monterey Road.
The latest move follows the FRA’s cancellation of a $4 billion grant to the California High-Speed Rail Authority [see “FRA kills funding …,” Trains.com, July 15, 2025]. The FRA says the CHSRA has not complied with the terms of that grant; California is suing over the decision, saying it is based on political retribution rather than facts [see “California sues over FRA cancellation …,” Trains.com, July 18, 2025].
