Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) has proposed legislation that would fund high-speed rail throughout the country, but most especially in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
H. R. 5805, called the High-Speed Rail Corridor Development Act, would give $32 billion to federally designated high-speed rail corridors to complete projects like California’s High-Speed Rail project connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. The bill, if passed, would provide $8 billion per year from 2021 through 2024.
Since 1992, Congress has designated 10 areas of the country as high-speed rail corridors, including the Chicago Hub corridor linking Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, and Milwaukee to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati; the Empire State Corridor linking New York City to Albany and Buffalo; the California corridor linking San Diego with Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento; the Southeast corridor linking Charlotte, N.C., and Washington, D.C. to Jacksonville, Fla., and Macon, Ga.; and the Pacific Northwest corridor linking Eugene and Portland, Ore. with Seattle, Wash., and Vancouver, BC, Canada, among others.
“This legislation will provide the needed funding to finish California’s High-Speed Rail project. California is leading the nation in building clean train technology, which will get cars off the road and improve our air quality”, said Costa. “We must invest in our future for our health and our economy. We already see the benefits, with new business investments in our communities and more high-paying jobs. The 119-miles of construction has employed more than 3,000 workers and supported 500 small businesses. This is the time to bring our transportation infrastructure into the 21st century. We can, and we will, get this job done!”
The bill is a reauthorization of the High-Speed Rail Corridor Development Program passed in 2008, which provided $1.5 billion to fund high-speed rail projects. The bill also builds upon the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of the same year, which established high-speed rail corridor development frameworks.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority supports the measure.
“Building transformative infrastructure projects – like high-speed rail – requires leaders with vision and determination. Congressman Costa has always demonstrated he has both when it comes to building clean, fast high-speed rail. His bill represents the kind of partnership we need with the federal government to get this important work done,” said Brian Kelly, CEO of the California High Speed Rail Authority.
H. R. 5805 also authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide funding to state rail plans that encourage intermodal connectivity and environmental benefit via grant money.