On December 23, 2025, the California High-Speed Rail Authority voluntarily dismissed its action challenging the Federal Railroad Administration’s decision to terminate federal grant funding for the California high-speed rail program. In a <a href="https://hsr.ca.gov/2025/12/23/news-release-california-high-speed-rail-launches-process-to-draw-in-private-investors/">press release</a> issued the same day, the Authority announced that it had “initiated a process to bring private investors and developers to the Authority by summer 2026.” Two weeks earlier the federal district court for the Eastern District of California denied federal defendants’ motion to dismiss the action. The Authority’s complaint described the high-speed rail program as “a crucial part of California’s long-term strategic planning, not only to address critical transportation needs, but also greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, as well as to spur economic growth in California’s Central Valley and across the State.”

California High-Speed Rail Authority's challenge to the termination of more than $4 billion in federal grant funding for the California high-speed rail program.

California High-Speed Rail Authority v. U.S. Department of Transportation

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California High-Speed Rail Authority Voluntarily Dismissed Challenge to Federal Funding Termination, Said It Would Seek Private Funding

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California High-Speed Rail Authority Voluntarily Dismissed Challenge to Federal Funding Termination, Said It Would Seek Private Funding

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