California High Speed Rail Hits Another Roadblock?

Last week, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny heard arguments on whether the California High Speed Rail will actually be able to travel at the speed voters were originally promised when the project’s financing was approved. Judge Michael Kenny’s name should sound familiar, we previously reported that Judge Kenny issued a ruling halting the California High Speed Rail Authority’s ability to sell $8 billion of Proposition 1A bonds because the CHSRA failed to provide evidence that the bond sales were necessary or even desirable (Read more about this here). That decision is currently on appeal.

In the new round of arguments, the California High Speed Rail Authority argued that the issue presented by the Central Valley landowners was not ripe for a decision because the project’s plans have yet to be enacted. In addition, the CHSRA contended that the Legislature gave it discretion over the high speed rail’s business decisions. Judge Kenny’s previous rulings came into play when the CHSRA argued that those decisions made the current issue moot until new project plans were presented.

In response, the Central Valley landowners argued that it will be impossible for the High Speed Rail to comply with the travel times originally promised to voters – travel time between San Francisco and Los Angeles not exceeding 2 hours and 40 minutes, or 30 minutes between San Francisco and San Jose. The landowners indicated that in order to comply with the promised times the High Speed Rail would have to travel at 220 miles per hour through urban areas, which would be unsafe.

No ruling has been issued. We will keep you updated on the Court’s decision and whether this will be another roadblock for the High Speed Rail. To read more about the last week’s arguments, head here.