But Oliveira acknowledged that is unlikely, given the schedule that the authority has to complete work on the first 130-mile stretch from Chowchilla to Bakersfield by the fall of 2017.

"Richard seems to be a little more into talking to us about it, and that's good," Oliveira said. "But if they stay on the same time schedule and don't address the flaws in the project, I don't know what talking is going to accomplish other than to stall us or waste more of our time."

The authority also is battling public perception over the rising cost of the rail program.

Richard said he was "very unhappy with the way the high-speed rail authority did its projections in the past; I don't think that they were candid."

A 2009 business plan projected the cost to build 520 miles of high-speed tracks from Los Angeles to San Francisco at about $46 billion. The newest plan presided over by Richard, a former chairman of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) board, created considerable sticker shock when it was released in November with a cost estimate of $98 billion.

Now, that plan is going through revisions that may be unveiled in the next month or two, Richard said. The emphasis, he added, is to find ways to "do it better, faster and cheaper."

A key challenge will be persuading state legislators to allocate money from Proposition 1A, a $9 billion bond measure approved by California voters in 2008 for high-speed rail construction.

The state's auditor, legislative analyst and a Legislature-appointed peer review group all have raised concerns about the viability of the plan, particularly its reliance on federal contributions and the uncertainty of future funds from Congress.