News about California's high-speed rail project has taken on a Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde quality.

On one side, there's never been more momentum. Headlines tout California's new billions in unexpected federal funds, as other states have turned back high-speed rail funds. The federal $3.9 billion is more than was ever anticipated at this stage of the project.

That follows voter approval in 2008 of a nearly $10 billion bond to help develop and construct high-speed rail. President Barack Obama has made high-speed rail a top national priority, while Gov. Jerry Brown's record of support dates back to the 1970s.

Beyond that, there's the assurance that other countries have built successful high-speed rail systems and California has the population density to equal those systems, as the Paris-Lyon-Marseille comparison chart shows.

Then there's the other side.

In the aftermath of the May 10 Legislative Analyst's Office report, "High-speed rail is at a critical juncture," headlines have been equally dominated by hand-wringing and calls to slow down or end the project.

With a public infrastructure project of this size and complexity, this dual personality should surprise no one.

But to resolve it, Brown will have to show true leadership. While his budget proposal moves the project along as planned, that's not enough.

He needs to squarely address the issues raised by the legislative analyst's report. The current uncertainty about California's intentions is hurting international private sector interest in the venture. It is making the federal government, which has made a significant financial commitment, wary of the state's steadfastness.

Californians deserve clarity on three major issues:

• Central Valley.

The legislative analyst questions the "inside-out" strategy of starting construction in the Central Valley and then building toward the Bay Area and Los Angeles. But as Europe and Japan have shown, high-speed rail works only for journeys of two to three hours, 150 to 550 miles, where air and car are less efficient.

The map shows that the Central Valley portion of the California route is the 220 mph backbone of the high-speed rail system. As Roelof van Ark, CEO of California High-Speed Rail Authority, explains, "If you start with the end sections, you'd never get a high-speed rail system; the central portion is the core of high-speed rail." If Californians want true high-speed rail, the line must start in the Central Valley.

• Board structure.

The LAO is concerned that the California High-Speed Rail Authority board might not have enough high-powered technical expertise, or local city representation. This is easily fixed. The nine-member board has five people appointed by the governor, two appointed by the Senate Rules Committee and two by the Assembly speaker. They can mold the board as they choose.

• Caltrans.

The legislative analyst suggests that day-to-day and strategic development of the project be taken away from the California High-Speed Rail Authority, and turned over to Caltrans. Caltrans currently oversees inter-city commuter rail in California, but it does not construct rail systems. It is one thing to call for enhancing the working relationship between high-speed rail authority and Caltrans, and for better integration of high-speed rail into overall transportation planning. It is quite another to call for a "start-over."

California is far along in the high-speed rail project, ready to enter into large design-build construction contracts in 2012-13. Let's not be naive. Putting a hold on this now means giving up federal funding.

Brown understands high-speed rail: "As our airports and highways become more crowded, the need for high-speed rail becomes even more acute," he said last year. If Brown truly believes in this project, he's got to show it. Now. Or he can count on the Mr. Hyde forces to delay high-speed rail into oblivion.

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