HIGH-SPEED RAIL AUTHORITY MAKES STATEWIDE PLANNING
DECISIONS
Board re-affirms Antelope Valley as route from Central
Valley to LA Basin
LOS ANGELES, Calif. –After
re-evaluating route options for the Central Valley to Los Angeles Basin segment
of California’s high speed rail system, the California’s High-Speed Rail
Authority’s Board decided today to continue to move forward with a proposed
route through Palmdale.
“After reviewing the study
results and listening to comments from the communities, it’s very clear that
keeping the route in the Antelope Valley is the right decision,” said Board
Chair Thomas J. Umberg. “The excitement we have seen out of Palmdale and their
commitment to promote a strong system is exactly the kind of partnership we
appreciate as we work to develop this critical statewide project.”
The Authority recently
re-examined the Central Valley to Los Angeles Basin segment, including a route
along I-5 in Southern California that extends over the Grapevine. The Grapevine
alignment was originally studied in the 2003-2005 Statewide Programmatic
Environmental Review and did not advance because preliminary information
suggested it could cost more than the Antelope Valley route.
“Due to many changes which had
occurred over time, we had to look at as many alternatives as possible to
ensure the best statewide system possible,” said Roelof van Ark, CEO of the
Authority. “We conducted a conceptual study to update the engineering data from
2005 to see if the Grapevine route would save us time, distance and money. This
was a prudent time to reevaluate both routes, which have changed since the
initial studies.
“This re-evaluation makes it
clear that running the train through the Antelope Valley will connect people in
one of the county’s fastest-growing areas, have fewer environmental impacts,
and afford more flexibility in route selection,” van Ark said.
Work on the two alignments in
the Antelope Valley continued while the conceptual study was underway.
Elected officials including the
mayors of Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Clarita, as well as Los Angeles County
Supervisor Michael Antonovich, expressed support of the Antelope Valley route
as the meeting approached.
“It (the Antelope Valley
alignment) involves less tunneling, will be more environmentally sensitive and
will spur growth,” Antonovich said, speaking in favor of the route during the
comment period at the meeting.
More than 300 people attended
today’s meeting held at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s
board room, and nearly 100 spoke on this decision.
“The results of this most recent
study, along with feedback from residents of the area, have made it clear that
this will be the most operationally successful alignment and serve to the great
benefit of the region,” said Umberg.
Authority discusses renewable
energy commitment goals
In a non-action item, the Board
discussed its Strategic Energy Plan and sustainability framework. The Plan
includes strategies for powering the high-speed train on 100 percent renewable
energy in a cost-effective manner and the sustainability framework coordinates
their implementation. It was developed by the Sustainability Partnership,
collaboration between the Authority, the Federal Railroad Administration,
Housing and Urban Development, Region 9, and other governmental bodies.
Small Business Program
Listening Session
About 120 small business owners,
mostly from Los Angeles County, visited a separate conference room at the event
to ask Authority representatives questions about its Small and Disadvantaged
Business Enterprise Program and to receive contracting opportunity
information.
The program was developed to
ensure small businesses in California are able to access contracts related to
the construction of high-speed rail. The Authority has called for a 30 percent
goal for small business involvement in the project.
California’s High-Speed Train
Project
The California High-Speed
Rail Authority is developing a San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles and
Anaheim high-speed rail system that will operate at speeds of up to 220 miles
per hour. The full system will connect all of the state’s major urban centers,
including Sacramento and San Diego. Initial infrastructure construction will
begin in the Central Valley, the backbone of the system, in 2012. The project
will generate 100,000 construction related jobs over the next five years and
nearly one million economy-wide jobs over the life of the project. The project
is being funded through voter-approved state bonds, federal funding grants,
local funding, and public-private partnerships.
###