High-Speed Rail Downsized But Not Out, Silicon Valley Business Leader Says

SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino says there's still hope high-speed rail may connect Silicon Valley to the Central Valley ... someday.

"Do we still want to see the shrinking of our state to make possible a connect between jobs and our vibrant agricultural communities? Yes. But we also recognize that you don't always swallow an elephant with one bite," Guardino said.

In his State of the State Address, Governor Newsom threw a giant wrench into plans to bring high-speed rail to the Bay Area.

"Right now, there simply isn't a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone San Francisco to L.A.," Newsom said.

The governor only committed to finishing the stretch of track between Bakersfield and Merced, with further connections in northern and southern California facing an uncertain future and even more uncertain funding.

"It doesn't make sense to build the extension that they have," said San Jose city councilman Johnny Khamis. "Either they should build it to connect people to where the jobs are or they just shouldn't build it at all."

Guardino, however, says the original architects of high-speed rail were on the right track though he acknowledged the project's path to Silicon Valley will be neither quick nor cheap.

"It made sense to link the agricultural world capital of the Central Valley with the innovation capital of the world in Silicon Valley. And it still does," Guardino insists.

The high-speed rail authority originally planned to have trains running to San Jose by 2025.