WASHINGTON, April 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Statement of Ray LaHood, former U.S. Transportation Secretary and current Co-Chair of U.S. High Speed Rail:
“The 60 Minutes story Sunday evening on California’s High-Speed Rail missed the most significant development related to the project in years. The project’s past challenges have been covered extensively. What’s new is that the California State Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom passed a $20 billion investment in the project last fall. This steady, long-term funding – delivered in $1 billion a year allocations – is a gamechanger. It will allow California High-Speed Rail to issue bonds and attract private investors to begin construction into major population centers such as the San Francisco Bay Area. Thanks to this new funding, for the first time ever, the project’s CEO is now assembling a private consortium to design, build, finance, operate and maintain additional sections of the project outside the Central Valley early operating segment. By connecting into a major population center, California High-Speed Rail can begin to attract high ridership, revenues and profits, which it can then invest back into further construction to other major metro areas. While the piece mentioned that the State of California is funding the majority of the project, it did not mention the huge recent funding infusion in 2025 as well as the significant implications of that funding for the project’s pathway forward. By failing to explain these well-documented developments, 60 Minutes did not include in their reporting important information regarding the new support from the California legislature, leaving millions of viewers with the impression that the project has no serious path to success.”
U.S. High Speed Rail mobilizes leading designers, builders, suppliers, project owners, public agencies, and unions to advocate for a nationwide high-speed rail network.
Contact:
Ezra Silk, US High Speed Rail
esilk@ushsr.com
860.916.8964
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SOURCE U.S. High Speed Rail
