California’s High Speed Rail Project Gets a Financial Leg-Up from the Federal Government

SILICON VALLEY – State rail infrastructure projects that will help commuters connect to other modes of transportation and save them time got a financial boost from U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“As chair of the California Senate Transportation Committee, I want to commend U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and the U.S. Department of Transportation for securing $279 million for rail infrastructure projects in California including High Speed Rail project,” said state Senator Dave Cortese, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.

“The $24.7 million targeted for the Transbay Joint Powers Authority will be used for the Downtown Rail Extension design to help accommodate California High-Speed Rail and Caltrain commuter rail into the newly built Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco.”

Last week, as chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, Senator Cortese traveled to California’s High Speed rail project at Hanford’s Viaduct. It’s the Central Valley system’s largest construction site creating thousands of jobs and will be a generational economic opportunity.  

California will receive 12 grants totaling more than $279 million and are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program.

Last year, Senator Padilla secured $3.1 billion for the California High-Speed Rail Authority that he pushed for alongside Feinstein, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif. 11) and Representative Jim Costa (D-Calif. -21).