Local leaders react to Trump's criticism of California's High-Speed Rail project

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- President Trump announced Tuesday he will be investigating California's High-Speed Rail project.

"The train that's being built between Los Angeles and San Francisco is the worst managed project I think I've ever seen, and I've seen some of the worst," Trump said to the press on Tuesday.

Critics of the project have said it was set to cost taxpayers $33 billion and be completed four years ago, but both the timeline and budget have grown.

"Billions and billions, hundreds of billions of dollars over budget," Trump said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Trump says he plans to investigate California's High-Speed Rail Project

California Assemblymember David Tangipa agreeing with Trump's investigation and proposing AB377, which asks the rail authority to provide a detailed funding plan.

"We do have these buildings," Tangipa said. "We know that construction is going on. But we need to make sure that there's a financial plan for the Fresno portion of it."

Henry Perea Sr., who serves on the project's board, agreed the rail's initial projections were wrong.

"If you look back 10-15 years, I don't think people really had an idea of what it was going to cost because they had not laid out the total plan itself of what it was going to include," Perea said.

He says now, the project could cost between 100 to 130 billion dollars.

"It's impossible that something could cost that much and now it's not even going to San Francisco, and it's not going to Los Angeles," Trump said. "Now it's at little places way away from San Francisco and way away from Los Angeles."

Perea adamant the project will reach from SF to LA.

"Have we had delays in the project? Of course we have. We acknowledge that when you're building a project and you're going through an area, sometimes you're going to find things that you didn't know were there. For example, there's PG&E power lines," Perea explained.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer sharing similar concerns to Trump, but hoping the project continues.

"It's taken too long, it's become far too expensive but here's the reality, we need high speed rail here in the valley to connect us to connect us to the rest of the California economy," Dyer said.

Despite the setbacks, Perea says the project is "moving along fine."

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