What you need to know: With the Trump administration illegally terminating grant agreements funding California high-speed rail, Governor Newsom said the state is “putting all options on the table” to fight Trump’s action.
July 17, 2025 - SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement on Wednesday in response to the 
Trump administration illegally terminating federal grant agreements funding California high-speed rail. This comes as the project enters the track laying phase, is actively building across 171 miles, has built more than 50 major railway structures – including bridges, overpasses, and viaducts – and completed over 60 miles of guideway.
Trump wants to hand China the future and abandon the Central Valley. We won’t let him. With projects like the Texas high-speed rail failing to take off, we are miles ahead of others. We’re now in the track-laying phase and building America’s only high-speed rail. California is putting all options on the table to fight this illegal action.
Governor Gavin Newsom
In January, Governor Newsom joined California High Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri, local leaders and workers just outside of Bakersfield to break ground on the railhead. This allows the Authority to begin laying track, which is one of the last steps in construction – occurring only after land acquisition, environmental clearances, and completion of supporting structures such as bridges, overpasses, and viaducts.
“Canceling these grants without cause isn’t just wrong — it’s illegal,” said CEO Choudri. “These are legally binding agreements, and the Authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025. America’s only high-speed rail project underway is fast approaching the track-laying phase, with 171 miles under active construction and design, 15,500 jobs created, and more than 50 major structures completed. This is no time for Washington to walk away on America’s transportation future.”
In the last year, high-speed rail has marked significant progress – with all environmental reviews spanning 463 miles from Los Angeles to the Bay Area complete, the electrification of Caltrain complete, trainset selection underway, station and track construction on deck, continued work with partner rail systems to create a southwest regional high-speed rail network, and more than 15,000 good paying jobs created. Passenger service is expected in the coming years, between 2030 and 2033.
High speed rail is a key part of Governor Newsom’s build more, faster agenda delivering infrastructure upgrades and creating jobs throughout the state.
Source: Office of the Governor
