BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The U.S. Department of Transportation has withdrawn approximately $175 million in federal funding from California's high-speed rail project, dealing a major blow to the state's two-decade effort to build a bullet train system.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that the Federal Railroad Administration officially pulled funding from four California rail projects, calling them "fantasy projects" and criticizing the lack of progress on the ambitious transportation initiative.

The funding cuts target several key components of the high-speed rail system. The withdrawn funds include nearly $90 million for the Le Grand Overcrossing on the Merced Extension, $7.5 million for grade separations in southern San Jose, nearly $25 million for final design

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