Community Corner

Federal Funding Brings High-Speed Rail Closer to Bay Area

The federal government reallocated $300 million to the high-speed rail project to complete the Central Valley segment and build tracks toward the Bay Area.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Monday that it would redirect $300 million in funds from Florida’s high-speed rail project to California, which will allow the California High-Speed Rail Authority to complete construction on the first initial segment.

Voters approved Proposition 1A in 2008, which approved sending the construction of a 220 mph high-speed train that would transport passengers from the Bay Area to Southern California in less than two and a half hours. The project has an estimated price tag of $42 billion.

The new money will help extend the initial Central Valley construction segment north toward Merced, funding the track and civil work from Fresno to the junction near Chowchilla, which will provide a connection to San Jose and San Francisco to the West, according to a statement released by the Authority.

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“In the past 15 months we have won the lion’s share of federal dollars, unlocked state bond funds and began engaging the private sector to secure their future participation, so that we can begin construction and begin creating thousands of quality jobs next year,” Authority chairman Curt Pringle said in a statement.

The California rail has won 40 percent of all federal dollars awarded to states’ high-speed rail projects, according to Pringle.

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“To be honest, we were hoping for a little more,” said Daniel Krause, the executive director of Californians for High-Speed Rail (CA4HSR), a state-wide grassroots organization. “But this definitely moves the project farther along and keeps the momentum going.”

However, the project has faced some opposition from local leaders who are concerned about funding sources and infrastructure that could drastically affect the landscape of their towns.  

But Krause said this possible connection goes isn't what citizens voted for in 2008. The high-speed rail is designed to transport riders from San Francisco to San Jose in about 30 minutes, and down to Southern California in one ride.

CA4HSR has also begun a dialogue with Bay Area representatives like Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Sen. Joe Simitian and Assemblyman Richard Gordon. The elected officials  “explicitly rejecting the notion of high-speed rail running from San Jose to San Francisco on an elevated structure or ‘viaduct.’”

“Their moves are well-intentioned, but they’re internally inconsistent,” Krause said. “They want to spend as little as possible, but refuse to let an aerial track go through cities and only want trenches.”

CA4HSR members have been working to ensure that the federal government sees the merit of the California project and rewards the project with more funding. Members encourage California residents to call their federal representatives when the elected officials draft the 2012 budget.

“The federal government has an estimated $53 billion for high-speed rail proposals over the six years,” Krause said. “We need to support its vision and make sure California secures some of those funds.”


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