What’s New
The California High-Speed Rail Authority released a video on Friday detailing the Palmdale to Los Angeles sections of the transport project.
The video—roughly four minutes long—provides highlights and key stats about the route, which consists of around 30 miles of tunnels and is part of a long-awaited high-speed megaproject years in the making.
Newsweek has contacted the California High-Speed Rail Authority for comment outside of usual business hours.
Why It Matters
The high-speed rail project, which had its funding approved in 2008, aims to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco, with future expansions planned to reach San Diego and Sacramento.
Initially slated for completion by 2020, the project now targets a launch of the initial operating segment between Merced and Bakersfield between 2030 and 2033, according to the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2024 business plan.
This project seeks to establish the nation’s first high-speed rail network, providing an efficient, eco-friendly mode of transportation. It aims to reduce traffic congestion, lower greenhouse gas emissions and offer Californians a viable alternative to driving or flying.
What To Know
The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s board of directors approved the final environmental documents for the 38-mile alignment in June, which will begin at the Palmdale station—to be located next to the existing Palmdale Transportation Center.
California High-Speed Rail Authority
The video explained that trains leaving Palmdale will travel at grade around Una Lake.
Moving towards Angeles National Forest, trains will move underground into the first of four tunnel sections on the segment, the first of which spans 12 miles.
The route will eventually emerge at the Hansen Dam Spreading Grounds before following the preexisting Metrolink Union Pacific Corridor toward the future high-speed station at the Hollywood Burbank Airport.
The final, mile-long tunnel of the segment will run to a station underneath the airport, which will feature both underground and above-ground facilities. The authority said it will be the only station directly connected to an airport.
Departing trains will then move along surface-level tracks adjacent to the Los Angeles River on the Burbank to Los Angeles project section.
Passing through Burbank and Glendale, trains will then head into the Los Angeles Union Station.
What People Are Saying
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri said on the project’s official X page: “The progress made on this historic project is thanks to the skilled men & women dispatched to high-speed rail construction sites every day.” An announcement on the page said that, since starting construction, the authority has created more than 14,600 jobs.
The project is not without its critics, however. Opponents have criticized the rail for escalating costs and numerous setbacks in its construction.
For example, Newsweek reported Thursday that California Representative Kevin Kiley announced that he would be proposing a bill to halt federal funding for the “failed California High-Speed Rail Project.”
What Happens Next
Developers say the system will run from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in under three hours at speeds capable of over 200 miles per hour.
The system is eventually set to extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totaling 800 miles with up to 24 stations.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
