High-speed rail council completes environmental clearance in Northern California

Nation's First High-Speed ​​Rail Project Now Environmentally Permitted Between San Francisco and Northern Los Angeles County

August 18, 2022

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The California High-Speed ​​Rail Authority (Authority) Board of Directors today certified the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS final) and approved the approximately 43-mile project for the San Francisco-San José Section. This action completes the environmental clearance for high-speed rail in Northern California and extends the environmental clearance to 420 miles of the 500-mile alignment of the project from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim.

“With environmental studies completed in Northern California, we are closer than ever to achieving the first statewide high-speed rail system,” said Authority Chairman Tom Richards. . "We look forward to working with all of our regional partners and stakeholders to develop modern and sustainable transportation infrastructure, complete our work in the Central Valley, and connect to the Bay Area as soon as possible."

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The approval of the San Francisco to San Jose section of the high-speed rail project and its environmental document represents a major milestone in advancing the entire statewide program by connecting the San Francisco Bay Area and Peninsula in San Jose, the Central Valley, and Los Angeles County in Southern California. Connecting these major economic regions to high-speed rail will change the way people travel across the state and promote more equitable employment and housing opportunities.

Board certification of San Francisco's final EIR/EIS in San Jose and approval of its project section will move the project section closer to being "ready to go" when funding for the final design , pre-construction and construction will be available.< /p>

By approving this section of the project, the Authority's Board of Directors has selected the preferred alternative (Alternative A). This alternative builds on Caltrain's electrification project and incorporates the infrastructure needed to provide high-speed rail service in the corridor. Approved Alternative A extends from the previously approved San Jose high-speed rail station and includes new high-speed rail stations at San Francisco and Millbrae; the construction of a light maintenance facility on the east side of the Caltrain Corridor in Brisbane; and improvements for security and speed in the region.

The final EIR/EIS can be viewed on the Authority's website here: https://hsr.ca.gov/programs/environmental-planning/project-section-environmental-documents-tier-2/ san-francisco-to-san-jose-project-section-draft-environmental-impact-report-environmental-impact-statement/

California High Speed ​​Rail is currently under construction for 120 miles (190 km) in California's Central Valley, with 35 active jobsites. To date, over 8,000 construction jobs have been created since construction began. For more information visit: www.buildhsr.com

The following link contains recent videos, animations, photography, media center assets and the latest renders: https://hsra.box.com/s/vyvjv9hckwl1dk603ju15u07fdfir2q8

These files are all freely available, courtesy of the California High-Speed ​​Rail Authority.