Press Release

HIGH-SPEED RAIL AUTHORITY APPROVES STATE MATCHING FUNDS
TO EXTEND BACKBONE OF STATEWIDE SYSTEM 

SACRAMENTO – Moving quickly to take advantage of $616 million in new federal funding, the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board voted unanimously today to approve committing state matching funds to extend construction of the initial Central Valley backbone of the statewide system south to Bakersfield.

The new federal funds – which were redistributed from other states that returned federal high-speed rail support – will now be coupled with state matching dollars, bringing the total available funds to begin construction to $5.5 billion. The new total will allow engineers to significantly extend initial construction, potentially building as many as 120 miles of the project’s 520-mile first phase, and incorporate the Valley’s largest urban centers: Bakersfield and Fresno.

“Ohio’s loss is our gain. When other states shrunk from the challenge of high-speed rail, California’s firm commitment to this project paid off,” said Tom Umberg, Vice Chairman of the Authority’s Board of Directors. “This is the right place to start and the right way to start. Working from the midpoint of the system gives us flexibility to keep building north and south – and builds the backbone fundamental to a true high-speed rail system.”

Project engineers also looked at the option of extending construction north toward Merced, but recommended against it until a final alignment is chosen. With several alternatives for tracks still being studied in the environmental impacts, a commitment at this stage to build further north would carry a risk that the tracks could not tie in with existing passenger rail service – a requirement for this round of federal funding.

Depending on which alignment is ultimately selected – a decision that will not be made until all applicable environmental work is done – the initial section may stretch nearly 120 miles from near Madera to the northernmost part of Bakersfield.

In addition, the Authority is working with federal officials to jump-start designing and planning for high-speed rail stations across the entire state – including Merced, Bakersfield, Gilroy, San Jose and Los Angeles. The Authority anticipates that final agreement being negotiated with the Federal Railroad Administration will include allocations to Southern California and potentially other areas, a step toward funding advanced improvement projects, station area planning and right-of-way acquisition.

“These investments demonstrate a firm commitment from both the Authority and our federal partners to a statewide system connecting California’s major urban centers,” Umberg said. “It’s important to remember that this is a great start to the project – but it is just the start.”

Earlier this month, the Authority selected a 65-mile stretch through the Central Valley to begin construction of California’s high-speed rail line, which will eventually connect the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and beyond.

Beginning in the Central Valley provides the most flexibility for future building as additional funding comes in, and it directs the first major investment to the area of the state with the highest unemployment rates.

Economic development experts in the Central Valley and beyond applauded the decision and the project as a way to create jobs, reduce air pollution and give Californians a faster, cheaper and more convenient way to travel:

“The California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley has consistently supported the construction of high-speed rail from Bakersfield to Merced. The additional funding provided by the federal government will extend the initial track construction to Bakersfield and allow for station designs in Merced and Bakersfield, which will bring this effort closer to reality. Considering the origin of this funding, it might be appropriate to name those stations in honor of their donors: Wisconsin and Ohio.”

-Mike Dozier, executive director of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley

“The selection of the first section of the high-speed rail system in California is a historic event. Contrary to what a few naysayers have said, this is not a train to nowhere. This section is the gateway to the future of high-speed rail in California, and the residents of Fresno County are proud to be a part of it.”

-Lee Ann Eager, chief operating officer at the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation

“This moves the Valley forward in connecting Merced, Fresno and Bakersfield via the most advanced high-speed rail system for California. We need to continue to act as a united alkali for the San Joaquin Valley for completing this section of the project.”

-Steve Geil, president and chief executive officer of the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation

“We need the high-speed rail project to start here. It just makes sense. You need to go through Fresno to get anyplace else, and this will connect Merced, Fresno and Bakersfield to the rest of the state. We have 40-50 percent unemployment in parts of the Central Valley. The unemployment and poverty rates are criminal. We need the jobs that the project will directly provide and the economic growth that will be stimulated all along the route.”

-Bob Jennings of UA Local 246

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 View the map of the initial 120-mile high-speed rail construction area.