Costs climb again for California’s high-speed rail project

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The cost of California’s high-speed rail line is going up again. A business plan released Tuesday by the project’s leaders now estimates it could cost as much as $105 billion to complete the train between Los Angeles and San Francisco. That’s up about $5 billion from the 2020 plan. Officials say the increases are due in part to new commitments aimed at minimizing disruptions, such as enhanced noise barriers. Meanwhile, project CEO Brian Kelly says he’s hopeful the state will get billions more for the project from the federal government through the new infrastructure bill.