The next step towards getting the San Francisco to Merced section of California's High-speed Rail project shovel-ready was taken Friday with the completion of a required environmental study of the alignment. This all-important connection between the Central Valley and Silicon Valley has been a "long time coming and this is a big milestone," said Boris Lipkin, Northern California Regional Director.
The "San Jose to Merced Project Section Final Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Impact Statement" clears construction to begin on the high-speed connection between the Central Valley and Bay Area. Electrification and upgrades are already well underway on Caltrain's mainline, which will be shared with HSR, meaning when the Merced to San Jose section is complete trains will be able to run directly into San Francisco as well (Caltrain should start electrified service in two years).
Map, CaHSRAfalse
And with money available in the recently passed infrastructure bill, this document will put the project at the front of the line for federal funding. Currently, an estimated $36 billion in federal grants will be available for passenger rail over the next five years. That will be matched by state sources, such as cap and trade. An additional $10 billion, dedicated to high-speed rail exclusively, could be forthcoming from Washington, as Democrats push to reconstitute a new spending plan from the failed Build Back Better package, explained the Andy Kunz of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association.
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