FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – California’s ambitious plans to build a north-to-south high-speed rail system are expected to get a jumpstart when the authority overseeing the project releases an updated blueprint for construction and financing. The plan was nearly derailed last fall after a draft plan said the project’s cost had more than doubled to $98 billion. The latest plan is scheduled be formally released Monday at a train depot in Fresno. It lowers the price to $68.4 billion, expands the initial segment and accelerates the construction schedule. Winning over skeptical lawmakers will be the authority’s next challenge. Gov. Jerry Brown will make the case for the rail project when he asks the Legislature in the coming weeks to appropriate $2.3 billion in rail bonds to begin constructing the first phase by year’s end.
Filed under: State News
