HIGH-SPEED TRAIN TRAVEL ONE STEP CLOSER TO REALITY

May 25, 2016

In a bid to complete full environmental certification of the San Francisco to San Jose line within 19 months, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is conducting back-to-back meetings this week in San Francisco, San Mateo and Mountain View.

The service will offer a mix of six Caltrains and four high-speed trains per hour during rush hours when it goes into effect by 2029, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reports. Regional director Ben Tripousis says funding could be found to open earlier in 2025.

Previous attempts at building a 220 MPH line failed in the face of opposition from communities and residents who lived along the tracks. The new proposal drops speeds down to 110 MPH and will use existing Caltrain service in a “blended” arrangement. While environmental review for the 220 MPH line was completed, the new proposal is sufficiently different that it will have to be recertified.

Suffolk’s president and CEO of the Western Region, Andy Ball, previously said inadequate infrastructure was a major impediment to growth in the Bay Area. By lowering travel times, housing stock can be distributed widely, thereby mitigating the housing crisis. Furthermore, development can serve as a boost to local economies. [SVBJ]