Officials from the California High-Speed Rail Authority joined supporters, including Governor Jerry Brown in downtown Fresno at the future site of Fresno’s high-speed rail station for a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony. This ceremony marks the beginning of construction for a project that has struggled with legal and financial issues.

The High-Speed Rail Project proposes to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles through the central valley with a bullet train that can travel over 200 miles per hour. This $68 billion dollar project has the support of Governer Jerry Brown. Covering the cost has been a controversial issue and the full train service probably won’t begin until at least 2029. However, once up and running, the train will travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 3 hours.

The project has faced many environmental issues including traffic and safety concerns, particularly through the San Francisco Peninsula, as well as concerns over its impacts on rural communities throughout the central valley. A statewide Programmatic EIR/EIS was finalized for the project and can be found here. Project-specific EIR/EISs are being prepared for each segment, with the Merced to Fresno component found here. 

Check out the press release from the High-Speed Rail Authority and this article from the Fresno Bee. 

Let us know what you think about this project in the comments section and check out the work we have done on this project on our website.