Pelosi Announces Landmark $3 Billion Federal Investment for California High-Speed Rail

December 5, 2023

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced today that the California High-Speed Rail Authority is set to receive $3.07 billion in federal funding to support construction of a two-track electrified high-speed passenger rail line connecting the cities of Merced, Fresno, and Bakersfield.

This funding, which Speaker Emerita Pelosi has championed, was awarded to California from a competitive national grant program under President Joe Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and appropriations laws passed by the Democratic Congress in 2022.

“California takes great pride in our ambitious status as the leading edge of high-speed rail in America. With this new $3.07 billion in federal funding, we take an important leap closer to making high-speed rail a reality in California,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “An electrified high-speed rail network will dramatically improve the quality of life in the Central Valley and up and down California. These bullet trains will make travel quicker and easier, bring housing closer, create new jobs and economic opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach, secure cleaner air for our children and help save our planet. Thank you to President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg for their recognition of the importance of high-speed rail to California and to our Nation.”

This landmark federal funding will specifically be used by the California High-Speed Rail Authority to:

Procure six electric trains for testing and use for high-speed rail passenger service at speeds up to 220 mph;
Construct the second track on the 119-mile high-speed rail from Madera to Poplar Avenue;
Construct the Fresno Station; and,
Complete final design and early works including right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation on the Merced and Bakersfield extensions beyond the 119-mile first construction segment.

The California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) Project is the first of its kind in America and plays a key role in the modernization of passenger rail. Once CHSR is fully operational, the projected ridership for the San Francisco to Los Angeles corridor would make it the most traveled intercity passenger rail service in America with 31.3 million riders a year, while eliminating nearly two million metric tons annually in greenhouse gases.

This project has already provided over 11,000 union jobs – most of which have been filled by Central Valley residents and residents from disadvantaged Bay Area communities. It has generated more than $12 billion in economic activity, engaging hundreds of small businesses, including those led by veterans and people with disabilities.

Speaker Emerita Pelosi has been a long-time champion for high-speed rail, which she believes is essential for California, important for America and necessary for our planet.

As Speaker and working with the Obama Administration, Pelosi led the fight to secure $2.5 billion in funding for CHSR under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and nearly $1 billion in additional federal funding for CHSR from the FY10 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.
When crafting the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Pelosi ensured that it included competitive funding for high-speed rail projects like CHSR.
This year, Pelosi has communicated with President Biden and key Biden Administration officials, including Secretary Pete Buttigieg and infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu, to emphasize the importance of high-speed rail for California and for America.
Specifically, Pelosi highlighted that California had put up 85 percent of the funding for high-speed rail in California and fought for the federal government to contribute its fair share – successfully advocating for CHSR to receive the federal funding announced today.