Dear Gov. Gavin Newsom,
Only 119 miles of the high-speed rail system has been funded as of 2025 — for $25 billion, a cost of $210 million per mile, according to the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
That means of the 494 miles from Anaheim to San Francisco we still have to fund 375 miles. This completed portion was the least expensive part of the route. No city construction and no tunnels! If the rest of the line only cost just as much per mile as this first part has, we are still looking at $78.8 billion.
In May 2023, CalMatters reported that “the latest report from the California High-Speed Rail Authority projects costs for the initial segment at $35 billion, which exceeds secured funding by $10 billion. Other segments of the system are likely to have their projected costs increase, too. The state hopes it will get more federal aid.”
However, the southern extension from Bakersfield to Los Angeles may require 36 miles of tunnels. In 2018, the authority estimated that the tunneling may cost between $26 and $45 billion. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, that is up to $1.25 billion per mile. We can count on it being the higher figure!
Mr. Governor, stop the bleeding! It would be so much better to stop the project now and lose $25-$50 billion after we pay back the feds than it would be to look at another $100 billion in deficit spending. And this is just construction and doesn’t even include the cost of the trains!
Ron Perry
Canyon Country
