Bose: FRA, California in settlement talks over high-speed rail funds

Federal Railroad Administration Deputy Administrator Amit Bose late last week said federal and California officials have engaged in “productive settlement negotiations over the past several weeks” involving federal funds for the state’s high-speed rail construction project.

The Federal Railroad Administration is encouraged by progress made in those discussions, Bose said in a prepared statement.

"We hope to be able to reach a final settlement in the near future," Bose said. "In recent months, the state has voiced a commitment to advance this pioneering project, which aligns with the Biden-Harris administration’s priorities as well as those of the American Jobs Plan: economic opportunity, equity, and combatting climate change."

Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in news reports that he expected President Joe Biden’s administration to reverse the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate federal funding for the high-speed rail project.

"Those dollars are coming back into the state, reinforcing we have a real federal partner," Newsom said in a state budget briefing, according to KTLA.com.