High-speed rail between San Jose, Central Valley receives final EIR certification
SAN JOSE - High-speed rail between San Jose and the Central Valley took a step closer to becoming reality after the final environmental impact report was certified Thursday.
In a unanimous vote, the High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors approved the 90-mile section stretching from Diridon Station in San Jose to Merced.
"Today's approval represents another major milestone and brings us one step closer to delivering high-speed rail between the Silicon Valley and the Central Valley," Authority CEO Brian Kelly said in a statement. "The Authority is poised to make the vision of high-speed rail in the Bay Area a reality."
The approval moves the project closer to being "shovel ready" once funding becomes available, officials said. Currently, construction is underway between Madera County and Bakersfield in the Central Valley.
Once high-speed rail is complete between San Jose and Fresno, officials said the travel time between the two cities would be one hour, compared to three hours by car.
"Completion of this critically important high-speed rail project helps the state expand economic opportunity and affordable housing, two critical goals for all of us," San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said.
In its decision, the board selected "Alternative 4" out of the four alignments studied. As part of the project, the existing rail corridor between San Jose and Gilroy would be electrified, allowing for both high-speed rail and Caltrain service.
From Gilroy, the rail line would head east into the Central Valley, with 15 miles of tunnels through the Pacheco Pass in the Diablo Range.
"Next to San Jose, Gilroy will be the next most significant transit hub on this stretch," Gilroy Mayor Marie Blankley said, noting the city's transit center is "very much ready for this to happen."
Despite years of delays and cost overruns, the project, which aims to connect the Bay Area, Central Valley and Southern California with high-speed trains, continues to have high support. A recent poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found Californians back high-speed rail by a five-to-three margin.
According to officials, 400 miles out of the 500 mile alignment of the system have been environmentally cleared. Sections that remain to be cleared include San Francisco to San Jose, Palmdale to Burbank and Los Angeles to Anaheim.
The agency's board of directors said it would consider final EIR certification for the San Francisco to San Jose segment this summer.
