Amit Bose, U.S. Department of Transportation administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, speaks at a high-speed rail event Tuesday in Fresno. Photo by Frank Lopez

The Central Valley still has a shot at federal funding after missing out on a key federal grant recently.

That was the message from federal transportation officials Tuesday who gathered to help celebrate a key milestone of the state’s high-speed rail project in the Valley.

Last May, the California High-Speed Rail Authority submitted two applications totaling nearly $1.3 billion in federal funds from the so-called MEGA (Multimodal Project Disciplinary Grant) program. The applications sought funding for the second phase between Merced and Bakersfield; station development in Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties; and purchasing six fully electric train sets capable of speeds in excess of 200 mph.

During a high-speed rail news conference at the Cedar Viaduct over Highway 99 in south Fresno Tuesday, community leaders commemorated the creation of more than 10,000 jobs since construction began in 2015.

Amit Bose, U.S. Department of Transportation administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, said the application was a very competitive process. He doesn’t believe the rejection reflects the federal government’s commitment to the project.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal of 2021 was a $550 billion federal investment in the nation’s infrastructure, including a $66 billion investment in Amtrak. The High-Speed Rail Authority paid special attention to a $12 billion pot for partnership grants for intercity rail service, including high-speed rail.

There will be more chances, Bose reassured the crowd.

“That was just year one of the program,” Bose said. “There are four more years of the program, and the first five years also of the federal-state partnership — definitely more opportunities on the way.”

Bose said the federal government stands firmly behind the project.

Charles Small, deputy assistant secretary of intergovernmental affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation, said his department is committed to partnering with the state to figure out funding.

“That’s the beauty of the Bipartisan Infrastructure law, we have a variety of programs that this project is eligible for, and that we will be able to provide the necessary funding to move this thing forward,” Small said.

Small said they are in regular contact with the Rail Authority, Gov. Newsom’s office and Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer as well as mayors across the state affected by the project.

The first phase is 500 miles, with 422 miles already being environmentally cleared and 119 miles in the Central Valley currently under construction to be finished in the next few years.

There are currently 761 small businesses working on the high-speed rail  with more than 200 of them calling the Central Valley home.

“When you know in Fresno that one out of four families lives below the poverty line, we know that in Fresno good paying jobs are perhaps more meaningful than anywhere else in the state of California,” Dyer said. “Three thousand of those 10,000 jobs are people who live here in Fresno County.”

Dyer also said building a high-speed rail station in Downtown Fresno will put the city on the map for travelers and serve as a model for the rest of the country.