The California High-Speed Rail Authority released the staff recommendations for the preferred alternatives for the high-speed rail routes in Northern California.
For the San Jose – Merced section, the authority recommends Alternative 4 which utilises a blended configuration between San Jose and Gilroy in the existing Union Pacific Railroad corridor before continuing to a dedicated high-speed rail alignment through Pacheco Pass.
In the San Francisco – San Jose project section, the authority staff recommends alternative A which includes a light maintenance facility on the east side of the tracks in Brisbane and does not include additional passing tracks in the middle of the corridor.
“The identification of the preferred alternatives is an important step in defining the programme and advancing the implementation of the Authority’s Silicon Valley to Central Valley Line that will ultimately bring high-speed rail to Northern California,” said Northern California Regional Director Boris Lipkin.
In September, staff will present its recommendations along with the feedback received during outreach and will seek direction from the Board of Directors for which alternatives to identify as the State’s preferred routes.
In addition, the draft environmental documents are due out in December 2019 for the San Jose to Merced project section and in March 2020 for the San Francisco to San Jose project section. While all alternatives will be evaluated equally in the draft environmental documents, identifying the preferred alternatives will be guided the public to what is most likely to become the project. Final route decisions will be made at the conclusion of the environmental review process.
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