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By 2007, the State
of California will have completed concept planning
and environmental clearance for a state-of-the-art 220 mph high-speed
rail network linking Southern California, the Central Valley,
and the
Bay Area. When complete, the high-speed rail lines will attract
68
million travelers yearly. |
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Investing in mobility
between our largest and fastest growing urban
areas is essential to keep California attractive and internationally
competitive in the coming decades, since intercity travel and
congestion
are forecast to more than double in the next 35 years. |
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High-speed rail (HSR)
in California's transportation mix is more cost
-effective and environmentally sustainable than investing only
in more
highways and air facilities. HSR will cost only half as much
to build
than the same capacity in roads and air alone, and will require
less
land, affect fewer natural resources, and will encourage more
compact
urban development. |
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HSR will significantly
reduce travel-related accidents, injuries, and
deaths, will draw directly from electric power independent of
fossil
fuels, and will use zero emissions vehicles. |
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The HSR investment
will create spin-off benefits for other transportation
system users, by increasing capacity and safety on the freight
railroad
lines, allowing consolidation of parallel rail lines, improving
speeds and
reliability of commuter rail services, freeing airport capacity
for long
-distance and international flights |
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High-speed rail can
be done in steps over 20 years. Early investments
can provide faster trip times for existing intercity and commuter
services,
safety improvements, and other transportation benefits within
several
years. |
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HSR trains can share
tracks with existing services, and branch off on
high-speed segments as they are completed. The first 220 mph
operations can be started within five years of construction funding. |
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The Association is
working to secure funding from State, Federal, local,
and private sources to make California high-speed rail a reality. |
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View a 10-minute overview of the California
High-Speed Rail project (YouTube)
