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godisnotgreat213 karma

Hi Meg! I've been a long-time supporter of California's High-Speed Rail Project. When Prop 1A passed the initial plan was to build out of the Central Valley to Southern California and to "close the gap" of passenger rail service that has never been established in California. A few years later, the Authority changed its plan to serve the Silicon Valley to Central Valley markets with the Valley-to-Valley service plan. I've always questioned if changing the focus of the first construction segments towards the Bay Area was a good idea, especially given that over 60% of the State's population lives in Southern California and that the passenger rail gap would still exist if the Valley-to-Valley segments were built first. I believe it would make a lot more sense to construct the Merced to Palmdale section of HSR infrastructure first and do a blended system with Metrolink to get direct train service to Los Angeles Union Station and other Southern California markets. Building towards Palmdale first would also enable opportunities for direct service to Las Vegas with the construction of the High Desert Corridor and Brightline West's plans. Would the Authority ever reevaluate their plans to prioritize building out of the Central Valley towards Southern California first to close this critical passenger rail gap and bring HSR service to more people faster?

godisnotgreat212 karma

High-speed rail is Fresno's future rail connection to the Bay Area. Caltrain is a regional commuter service, not an intercity rail line. But HSR construction in and around Fresno is progressing nicely!