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Caltrain will finally go electric thanks to FTA funding
The future of California's high-speed rail project relies in part on an initiative to migrate Silicon Valley's Caltrain corridor from a fleet of outdated diesel engines to a more modern electric system. That electrification project was put in jeopardy earlier this year when state Republicans asked Trump's Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to block a $650 million federal grant, claiming it should be shut down due to cost overruns. Now, in response to Caltrain's petition, the Federal Transit Administration has announced it will approve the funds and the upgrade can finally move forward after decades of delays.
Caltrain asks White House to reverse high-speed rail funding cut
After Republicans successfully lobbied US Transportation secretary Elaine Chao to halt approval of a $650 million dollar grant for an electrification project that would have laid the groundwork for a high-speed rail network, Caltrain is asking the public for its support in getting that decision reversed.
California Republicans want to block high-speed rail funding
A 14-member contingent of the California GOP have sent a letter to newly-installed Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, asking that the DOT halt approval of a $650 million dollar grant for an electrification project that would have directly benefitted the proposed bullet train system running between San Francisco and San Jose. That grant would have gone to California's Caltrain agency (as early as this week) and be used to install a power system for the future train system. The letter cites cost increases and a lack of private funding as reasons to defund the project.
