Despite numerous legal and legislative setbacks in the last few months, the California High Speed Rail Authority has released a new business plan—the first update of the controversial plan since 2012.

Last week, the California High-Speed Rail Authority issued the 101-page draft of its 2014 Business Plan. The plan will be available for public comment for two months before a final version is submitted to the California State Legislature on May 1.
According to a report by Tim Sheehan, the new business plan “estimates the construction cost for Phase 1 of the statewide project from San Francisco to Los Angeles at about $67.6 billion.”
The new cost marks a slight decrease from the most recent, prior estimates: “The new forecast is down slightly from $68.4 billion estimated in 2012, but still more than double the $33 billion predicted in 2008 when California voters approved Proposition 1A, a $9.9 billion bond measure to help finance high-speed rail planning and construction.”
Added to what appears to be forward motion for the project, Tom Zoellner also recently penned an op-ed asking California not to give up on the idea—with some stipulations.
FULL STORY: Public gets first crack at new high-speed rail business plan

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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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