US to refinance California bullet train السريع

Sacramento, California, US (AP) – The US government has reached an agreement to restore nearly $1 billion in funding for a destroyed California bullet train project, Governor Gavin Newsom announced.

The Federal Department of Transportation has completed negotiations on an agreement to restore funding for a high-speed rail project, which was canceled in 2019 during the then-administration of President Donald Trump, Newsom reported Thursday night.

Reclaiming $929 million in grants will “continue to drive job creation, advance the project, and bring the state one step closer to getting trains running in California as quickly as possible,” Newsom said in a statement.

California voters approved nearly $10 billion in bonds in 2008 to build a high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. Although it was supposed to be operational by 2020, the project has been plagued by cost overruns and delays. Authorities now hope to have trains in a strip that will cross the state’s Central Valley agricultural area by 2029.

Critics have derided the clip as a “train nowhere,” but supporters say it’s a necessary test and introduction to connecting the most populous areas.

The project’s business plan anticipates environmental approval for the 500-mile (805-kilometre) distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco by 2023. Completion of the entire line depends on funding and other unknowns.

Newsom released a budget proposal last month that includes $4.2 billion for the project, including money from bonds that voters approved in 2008.