The California High-Speed Rail project has become one of the most glaring examples of government waste in the Golden State’s history.
This failed project has spiraled into a chronically mismanaged and over-budget endeavor — costing hardworking taxpayers nearly $15 billion without a single track being laid. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the $128 billion projected total cost of this nightmare could buy every San Francisco and Los Angeles resident nearly 200 round trip flights between the two cities.
If that wasn’t bad enough, just last week, the California High-Speed Rail Authority approved a $537 million change order — a contract amendment that increases the project cost beyond the original agreement — with Dragados Flatiron Joint Venture, the contractor for the 65-mile Central Valley segment through Fresno, Tulare, and Kings Counties.
This is the largest change order in the project’s history, and it comes on top of 597 previous change orders totaling more than $2.3 billion, according to the Authority’s own Central Valley Status Report. Decades of delays have ballooned this disastrous project’s budget, and repeated contract amendments have left taxpayers footing the bill for what has turned out to be nothing more than a pipe dream.
Taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability. That’s why I applauded the Federal Railroad Administration decision to terminate approximately $4 billion in unspent federal funding for this boondoggle last year, and why I am demanding transparency from the California High-Speed Rail Authority on this latest massive change order.
Reckless, repeated contract amendments raise serious questions about fiscal oversight, project management, and the proper use of federal taxpayer funds. Massive amounts of tax dollars have been squandered on this project, and I believe we all have a right to know whether federal funds were involved in this settlement, if any guidance was sought from oversight agencies, if there were any compliance reviews or audits conducted, and what internal reforms have been implemented to prevent future waste of this magnitude.
The unfortunate reality is that this $537 million change order is not an isolated event. It is simply the latest in a decades-long pattern of mismanagement, cost overruns, and broken promises. Californians who voted for this project in 2008 were promised a $33 billion high-speed rail system by 2020, connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. It is 2026 and there is no track laid and no train in existence. However, for the communities I represent in the Central Valley, it has only been a drain on resources and a source of disruption. Farmland and neighborhoods have been torn apart, construction has dragged on for years, and billions of dollars have flowed into a system that remains incomplete. Today, the project is decades behind schedule, with the total project cost ballooning to $128 billion — more than a 400 percent increase in the original voter-approved budget. Each ill-advised settlement, including this $537 million change order, is a stark reminder that the High-Speed Rail Authority chases a fantasy fueled by mismanagement while the Central Valley continues to bear the brunt of infrastructure neglect.
Local roads and bridges, many carrying the farm-to-market traffic that feeds our nation, are deteriorating at alarming rates. Farmers struggle to move produce safely and efficiently while counties face maintenance costs that far exceed their budgets. Every dollar spent on this boondoggle is a dollar deprived from our roads, bridges, and highways that actually support economic growth and keep California’s supply chains moving. The communities I represent are done paying the price for a project that delivers little to them while leaving their critical infrastructure to crumble.
It’s time to end the illusion and face the facts: this project has failed Californians. The latest $537 million change order is the most recent proof that this project cannot deliver on its false promises. Accountability is coming. We must cancel this project and redirect resources to infrastructure that actually works for our communities.
Rep. Vince Fong represents California’s 20th District in Congress.
