The Trump administration has repeatedly taken aim at the LA-to-Bay Area rail project, blaming Democratic leaders for cost overruns and delays.
USDOT has officially cancelled $4 billion in federal grants for the California High-Speed Rail project, reports Damien Newton in Streetsblog California.
Duffy blames “Gavin Newsom and the complicit Democrats” for the cost overruns and delays despite Newsom being the third governor to oversee the project. The first, when the cost estimates were made that low-balled the overall cost of the project actually occurred when a Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was governor.
Newton points out that, despite all its problems, the CAHSR project is actually making significant headway, with all environmental reviews now complete and 171 miles of track under active construction and design. According to CAHSR CEO Ian Choudri, the cancellation is illegal. “These are legally binding agreements, and the Authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025,” Choudri said.
Trump budget slashes passenger rail funding by 82%
The White House's proposed FY2027 budget makes drastic cuts to public transit and eliminates high-speed rail funding altogether.
California Abandons Lawsuit Over Federal High-Speed Rail Funds
The state is taking a new approach to its high-speed rail project, saying the federal government is not a “reliable, constructive, or trustworthy partner.”
Legal Standoff Over Federal Funding for California High-Speed Rail Heats up
A judge dismissed the Trump administration’s request to throw out a lawsuit brought by the state’s high-speed rail authority.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association