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Internal ‘chaos’ adds to rough year for bullet-train agency

The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s rough year continues with the departure of another top executive at the agency overseeing the state’s $64 billion bullet-train project. Jon Tapping, the agency’s director of risk management since 2012, is leaving, the Los Angeles

High-speed rail agency lacks leader at crucial juncture

Chris Reed June 20, 2017

Four months after then-California High Speed Rail Authority Chief Executive Jeff Morales told authority board members he was moving on and two months after Morales made his decision public, the agency overseeing the state’s $64 billion bullet train project hasn’t

Bullet train roundup: CEO out as project faces lawsuit and federal threats

Chris Reed April 24, 2017

The chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority – former Caltrans director Jeff Morales – is resigning in June from the agency after five years overseeing the state’s $64 billion bullet train project. The announcement Friday prompted Gov. Jerry Brown and

Bullet train’s unyielding new foe: Wealthy equestrians

Chris Reed May 29, 2016

When the California High-Speed Rail Authority surveyed the landscape and sought to determine the big obstacles to getting the state’s bullet-train project built, some foes were obvious: The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which led the fight in 2008 against Proposition

Bullet train shifts focus from SoCal to Bay Area

James Poulos January 29, 2016

California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project has hit a new snag, likely shifting its proposed construction strategy away from the Southland-first plan it had initially adopted. “The state rail authority is studying an alternative to build the first segment in the

Logistical woes mount for high-speed rail

James Poulos October 27, 2015

A new special report conducted by the Los Angeles Times has thrown very cold water on the California High Speed Rail Authority’s plans for bringing a bullet train to the Golden State. Through an in-depth investigation, the paper revealed embarrassing

Bullet train agency still slow to acquire land

Chris Nichols August 6, 2015

Buying land for California’s bullet train remains a slow and contentious process for the state’s high-speed rail agency — but the state’s top rail official said this week he doesn’t expect any “significant” project delays as a result. The California

Budget fight shows unlikelihood of fed $ for bullet train

Chris Reed December 16, 2014

Congress’ most intense squabbles over the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending plan that passed Saturday weren’t over the budget details. They were over plans to add provisions in the measure to modify existing laws, most notably language that would weaken some

Sen. DeSaulnier grills high-speed rail CEO on funding

Kathy Hamilton April 15, 2014

Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of a series looking in depth at the latest hearing in the state Senate on California’s high-speed rail blueprint. Part 1 is here. Skepticism took center stage as the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee held

Feds give CA breathing room on bullet-train matching funds

Kathy Hamilton February 26, 2014

There’s been another funding twist for the California bullet-train project. The Federal Railroad Administration has agreed to delay the due date for $180 million in state matching funds for the project from April 1 to July 1, according to a