Skip to main content

California's high-speed-rail project goes ahead

The California Supreme Court decided last week not to consider an appeal of a case brought by opponents of the state’s $68 billion bullet train project, paving the way for the project to go ahead. Opponents had questioned whether the California High-Speed Rail Authority was complying with the terms of the ballot measure that funded the project. The appellate court agreed there are legitimate legal concerns about whether the “high-speed rail project the California High-Speed Rail Authority seeks to bui
October 20, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
The California Supreme Court decided last week not to consider an appeal of a case brought by opponents of the state’s $68 billion bullet train project, paving the way for the project to go ahead.

Opponents had questioned whether the California High-Speed Rail Authority was complying with the terms of the ballot measure that funded the project.

The appellate court agreed there are legitimate legal concerns about whether the “high-speed rail project the California High-Speed Rail Authority seeks to build is the project approved by the voters” but said the arguments were brought too soon.

Dan Richard, chairman of the board that oversees the high-speed rail project, said in a written statement that the state will move aggressively to build the system.

Demolition work and construction testing has already begun around Fresno, one of the hubs on the first 28-mile stretch in the Central Valley.

The decision concerns only one portion of the plaintiffs’ lawsuit. In a second phase still before the Sacramento County judge, attorneys will argue that compromises made to cut the price mean the bullet train won’t be able to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in two hours and 40 minutes as promised in the ballot measure.

Related Content

  • ITS America 2016 San Jose tours programme shows the present and future of ITS
    May 27, 2016
    The major theme of Thursday, June 16, at ITS America 2016 San Jose will be a series of tours that exemplify intelligent transportation at work today and with an eye to the future. The Interstate 80 Integrated Corridor Mobility Project Tour will take in one of the most complex integrated Active Traffic Management systems in the country. This tour includes a stop at the Caltrans TMC in Oakland for an overview of system operations
  • Trains and no planes or automobiles
    August 3, 2021
    Moves are afoot in France and Germany for legislation to prioritise rail over air travel. Iomob’s Boyd Cohen suggests that Mobility as a Service can help to support this shift
  • Milwaukee’s bus service offers jobs lifeline
    November 23, 2018
    A bus-to-jobs project in Milwaukee provides a useful service for low-paid workers. A new report shows the economic impact of potential closure on local employers - and demonstrates the importance of public transit networks for disadvantaged communities The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has a problem. Getting people into out-of-town districts for work is an engine of economic growth, but it costs money. The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus routes 6 and 61 - also known as JobLines - provide acces
  • Cubic to be bought for $2.8bn
    February 8, 2021
    CTS owner is expected to be sold to private equity firms by the end of June this year