There are almost new developments every day with High Speed Rail. The most recent is the updated California High Speed Rail Authority’s (CHSRA) Business Plan which includes a revised timeline and budget of this statewide project. It reveals major shifts in cost – now estimated at $98B (originally $42B) -and completion date - now 2033 (originally 2019). The CHSRA has also lowered ridership estimates claiming that their calculations are very conservative compared to other rail corridors.
Independent reviews, such as that by the state Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), are critical of the feasibility of the original 2:40hr travel time from SF to LA one way, ridership estimates, capital and operating costs, and private and public funding source assumptions. This brings into question whether the requirement of the voter approved Prop 1A can be met in terms of speed and cost.
Local Level
Two alignments are under consideration for the Morgan Hill are
- one on the west side following the UP Railroad tracks (see sidebar for maps of these alignments); this will be an ‘at-grade modified’ vertical alignment
- the other on the east side of Highway 101; this will be a mixture of aerial and at-grade vertical alignments
The alignments will include underpasses and overpasses for either the train or the streets where the train would cross. There will also be some street closures. Updated maps are not currently available online but may be viewed at the City of Morgan Hill’s Development Services Center at the corner of Peak and Main Ave. A decision as to which will be the final alignment is expected in early 2013.
- The CHSRA will be releasing the Draft Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the San Jose –Merced segment in spring/summer 2012. This is an important opportunity for the public to provide comments on the impact this project will have on our environment before the document is finalized. The California Superior Court recently ruled on a court challenge by a Peninsula coalition group that included the cities of Palo Alto, Atherton, and Menlo Park. Part of the verdict concluded that the CHSRA failed to show how the massive route would affect local traffic and homes along Monterey Highway and on the Peninsula. The CHSRA must put its plans for the Gilroy to San Jose tracks on hold until they have satisfactorily analyzed these impacts.
- The CHSRA is looking for a location for a 100 acre maintenance facility possibly in South County because of the higher probability of sites that can accommodate the facility’s footprint.
State and Federal Level
- The Governor continues to support the project and is optimistic that the CHSRA can overcome any obstacles to building a high speed rail system in California.
- The CHSRA was not affected by the recent vote in Congress to rescind high speed rail funding for the year 2012. However, given the current and future uncertainty of further federal funding, the CHSRA has projected receiving no more money from Washington until 2015. After that year though, the authority is expecting to rely heavily on federal funds. According to its business plan, $33 billion-$36 billion for the high-speed rail project will come from the federal government over the following 20 years.
- Kings County is the latest jurisdiction in California to bring suit against the CHSRA in the hopes of stopping the project from being built in their area
Thrive’s position
We are following this issue closely as we have concerns about:
- the accuracy of the information provided by the CHSRA
- the CHSRA's ability to build a system that will properly take into account our community's concerns including mitigating the impacts (noise, etc.) of high speed rail.
Copyright © 2010-2012 Thrive! Morgan Hill. All rights reserved.
