The CEO of California's high-speed rail project says the controversial $68 billion dollar project is still on track.
High speed rail CEO Jeff Morales says he expects to break ground on the first phase of the project this summer.
The 130-mile line will connect Madera and Bakersfield.
Morales testified before the State Assembly Transportation Committee Monday, offering lawmakers an update on the project, which has been criticized for being too costly and for running through Central Valley farmland.
But, on Friday, four Central Valley landowners dropped a lawsuit that challenged the Rail Authority's environmental impact report.
However, the Authority is still facing other litigation.
"We are moving forward and we're moving forward with the funding that was approved last year, And, we're working to resolve issues where we have them in communities and with stakeholders. We've made a lot of progress in resolving those and I think what we're starting to see now is people starting to see the benefits," said Morales.
The high-speed rail project will eventually connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with trains that will reach speeds of more than 200 miles per hour.
Morales says with the state's population expected to rival New York's in the coming decades, the project is really an investment in our future.
