Congressional committee launch investigating into California's high-speed rail project

The House Oversight Committee opened an investigation into the California High-Speed Rail project to examine whether cost and ridership estimates were misrepresented to secure federal and state funding. Representative James Comer requested documents and a staff-level briefing from the U.S. Department of Transportation by Sept. 2 related to the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The inquiry seeks to determine whether the Authority knowingly misrepresented ridership projections and financial viability, noting repeated use of misleading projections despite expert warnings, massive cost overruns, and lack of progress. The request seeks communications, procurement documents, and DOT analyses on property acquisition, contracts, environmental reviews and ridership.

The House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into California's high-speed rail project earlier this week, probing whether cost and ridership estimates were misrepresented in order to secure federal and state funding. Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, requested documents and communications, as well as a staff-level briefing from the U.S. Department of Transportation by Sept. 2, related to the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

As part of our investigation, we are seeking to understand whether the Authority knowingly misrepresented the ridership projections and the associated financial viability of the California High-Speed Rail Project to secure federal and state funds, Comer said in a statement. The Authority's apparent repeated use of misleading ridership projections, despite longstanding warnings from experts, raises serious questions about whether funds were allocated under false pretenses, Comer said.

The letter to Duffy who has been critical of the high-speed rail project himself asked for documents and communications from the High-Speed Rail Authority and any other California entity or third party to the Transportation Department to solicit or procure state and federal taxpayer funds for the project. It also asked for documents from the Transportation Department analyzing the development and sustained viability of the project, related to acquisition of property, contracts, environmental reviews and ridership projections.

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