California sues Trump administration over cancelled high-speed rail funding

California Construction News staff writer

California is taking the Trump administration to court over its decision to revoke $4 billion in federal grants for the state’s high-speed rail project, calling the move a politically motivated attack on a project critical to the state’s future.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the lawsuit last week, accusing former president Donald Trump of using the funding cancellation as “petty, political retribution” aimed at undermining a major infrastructure initiative in California’s Central Valley.

“This is just a heartless attack on the Central Valley that will put real jobs and livelihoods on the line,” Newsom said in a statement. “We’re suing to stop Trump from derailing America’s only high-speed rail actively under construction.”

The lawsuit, filed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority, alleges the federal government’s decision to terminate the funding agreements was driven by partisan animus and not by the project’s performance or progress.

The legal action comes as the $128-billion project enters a new phase of construction, with track-laying underway across a 171-mile corridor in the Central Valley. The state reports that more than 50 major rail structures have been completed, along with over 60 miles of guideway. More than 15,000 jobs have been created so far.

Environmental assessments are complete along the 463-mile segment from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and officials say work is advancing on trainset procurement, station design, and integration with other regional rail networks.

Passenger service on the first phase of the project is currently projected to begin between 2030 and 2033.