California anti-HSR bill dies

A move seeking to scuttle California’s high speed rail program in the state Assembly was thwarted by pro-rail forces, keeping the Golden State’s HSR efforts in the forefront of U.S. possibilities and offering, perhaps, a sign of “pushback” from advocates of HSR and higher-speed rail (HrSR) stung by recent political setbacks.

The California bill to defund HSR, sponsored by Assemblywoman Diane Harkey died in committee.

"What are the risks of the project? We don’t even know," said Harkey, referring to the state’s HSR program, currently projected to cost $44 billion for roughly 700 miles of right-of-way, the majority of it grade-separated. "It could be $66 [billion]-to-$100-billion and that’s without the trainsets and without the operating expenses."

Harkey, a Republican, also has introduced a bill that would require California’s High-Speed Rail Authority to submit to a state auditor’s analysis of the project’s costs. 

"Put really simply, this bill would kill high speed rail in California we believe that’s against the will of the people who voted for the project," said Jeff Barker, deputy executive director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, a Democrat who chairs the transportation committee, agreed, saying to Harkey, “I think you and I are going to disagree about the merits of high speed rail because I believe there is a possible success story out there . . . so for that reason I am going to oppose your bill.”