First US Bullet Train Project Gaining Steam
Last month the California Supreme Court refused to hear a Kings County, California appeal calling into question the legitimacy of the bond sale that raised money for the $68 billion project in 2008. The decision effectively allows the issuing of $9 billion in bonds to be used to purchase land in the Central Valley, demolishing of buildings along the projected route and the beginning of construction.
According to the, California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), the preliminary stage of the project is now history and the building the first 130 mile section of track in the Central Valley can now begin.
This comes after Gov. Brown negotiated $250 million in funding from the California legislature earlier this year and dedicated 25% of the state’s “cap and trade” fuel tax for the rail line in coming years.
Trade associations, including the Building and Construction Trades Council of California, the AFL-CIO reacted to the news positively because of the project’s obvious benefits to California’s workforce. High Speed Rail Authority’s Lisa Marie Alley noted, “the decision reaffirms that we are building a modern high-speed rail system in compliance with the law.”
The following image shows the proposed path of the high speed train.
In the meantime, China and Japan are swooning over the possibility of providing high-speed trains to the California project. Stay tuned for more on this topic!
Related aricles on IndustryTap:
- France Bungles $20 Billion Train Order
- Taiwan High Speed Rail’s Hsin Chu Station Mall Set to Become a Green Icon
- Epic “404” for Italy’s Messina Straits Bridge and TAV High Speed Rail To France
References and related content:
- California_high_speed_rail_summary.pdf
- California High-Speed Rail Network – Railway Technology
- California State Rail Plan
