Support for California High-Speed Rail is surging. So is California’s economic capacity to finish the project.

Last Updated on: 19th July 2025, 02:38 am

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A recent poll from Politico California and UC Berkeley’s Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research shows 67% of registered California voters, including 82% of Democrats, support the continued construction of the 500-mile bullet train project connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco — an increase of more than 10 percentage points in general voter support compared to other recent surveys.

California voters have voiced strong support for the project as the Trump administration follows through on its threat to rescind $4 billion in federal grants for the project.

The Politico-UC Berkeley poll shows support for high-speed rail strongest among voters in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area (both at 71%), young voters (82% for voters ages 18-34) and Black voters (81%).

These results come as the state’s gross domestic product recently exceeded $4.1 trillion, surpassing Japan as the 4th-largest economy in the world (behind the U.S., China and Germany).

Starting in the late 1950s, the Japanese government funded and built the world’s first high-speed rail network on its own. Japan’s state-of-the-art 1,800-mile bullet train network, spanning a geographical area 93% the size of California, is over three times the size of the California High-Speed Rail project.

If Japan could do it in the mid-20th century, California certainly can today, said US High Speed Rail, a coalition of businesses, unions and project sponsors that advocates for a nationwide high-speed rail network.

“The State of California has the financial resources and the political will to complete this landmark project, which will transform the state’s economy and help to restore the California Dream,” said Andy Kunz, CEO of US High Speed Rail. “Voter support for the California High-Speed Rail project has never been higher.”

To complete the project, California High-Speed Rail needs steady, long-term funding. A fixed, long-term level of annual state funding can attract billions in private investment that can accelerate construction, bring down costs, and complete a new Southwest High-Speed Rail Network that connects California High-Speed Rail to the High-Desert Corridor project north of Los Angeles and the Brightline West line running into Las Vegas.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2025-26 budget includes a commitment to high-speed rail of at least $1 billion annually for 20 years in the state’s Cap-and-Invest program.

If the State Legislature establishes a robust, fixed dollar amount of financial support for the high-speed rail project moving forward, California High-Speed Rail can secure billions in private investment to accelerate construction of the project and connect into a major metropolitan center.

Earlier surveys by UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times and Emerson College showed 56% and 54% support, respectively, among all registered voters.

U.S. High Speed Rail convenes designers, builders, suppliers, project owners and labor organizations to advocate for high-speed rail across America.