Coming
in
2018
The state’s high-speed rail system will
only be competitive if it enables travelers
to reach their destinations in a way that’s
superior to various other transportation
options. Closing the existing gaps in the
rail network will help. The California
State Transportation Agency and Caltrans
are collaborating on a 2018 California
State Rail Plan that is expected to fully
incorporate the high-speed rail system
as the backbone for an improved state
network. Stay tuned.
CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL
STATEWIDE SYSTEM
Sacramento
HSR Phase I is broken down into project sections. The 84-mile San
San
José to Merced Project Section will travel through South County to
Francisco
connect stations in San José and Gilroy before heading east to Merced.
Within that section is the Morgan Hill to Gilroy Subsection. The
San Jose
exact nature this route will take is yet to be determined, and none of
the Authority’s proposed rail alignment options have succeeded in
Gilroy
attracting a groundswell of support locally.
City and county officials and residents of Gilroy, Morgan Hill
and San Martin have attended public meetings and followed the
Authority’s progress with a mixture of concern and frustration at the
lack of information about the impacts and costs of bringing high-
speed rail through our region.
Questions remain unanswered with respect to the Authority’s
proposed alignments, possible modifications to those alignments,
capacity to consider other alignments, and intentions as far as
mitigating impacts of the alignment that’s ultimately chosen.
Currently, our public officials are taking steps to influence the
Authority’s alignment decisions with their priorities and community
LEGEND
input in mind. Consulting firms have been engaged to help evalu-
Phase 1
ate the Authority’s proposed options for our region. The Authority
Phase 2
has agreements with both cities and the County to reimburse costs
Proposed Station
associated with these efforts.
Before work can begin on the San José to Merced section,
CHSRA staff must have funding commitments and an environmental
impact report/statement (EIR/EIS) approved by its board of directors and the
Federal Railroad Administration. If the Authority meets these milestones in 2018,
construction could begin in 2019 and extend into 2023, followed by the requisite
two-year testing period, in order to have this section operational in 2025.
Tripousis said, “The ultimate goal of any environmental process is to identify the
least environmentally damaging, practicable alternative. We hope to have a draft
document some time before the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the Authority has released a Request for Proposals to secure a Train
Operator for the High-Speed Rail System (the initial focus is operation of the
Central Valley to Silicon Valley section, with the first trains being tested between
Merced and Bakersfield). A “pre-bid conference” is being held in Sacramento
on July 12 th .
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Proposed Statewide Alignment
JULY/AUGUST 2017
Stockton
Modesto
Merced
Madera
gmhtoday.com
Fresno
Kings/Tulare
Bakersfield
Palmdale
San
Bernardino
Burbank
Los Angeles
Riverside
Anaheim
San Diego
SUBJECT TO CHANGE – MAY 2016
15
Graphics
SAN JOSE
to MERCED