BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors approved the final environmental document for the 38-mile segment between Palmdale and Burbank.
The approval of the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) is the last environmental clearance between downtown San Francisco and downtown Los Angeles.
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In a release, it said at speeds up to 220 mph, this section will connect the Antelope Valley to the San Fernando Valley in a roughly 17-minute train trip – more than twice as fast as traveling by car.
“This is a transformative project for the state of California as a whole, and today’s approval is a major milestone for connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than three hours. It’s also transformational for Los Angeles County, connecting Palmdale to Burbank in a way that’s never been possible before,” said CEO Brian Kelly
“Today’s approval is more than a historic milestone – it closes the gap between Los Angeles and San Francisco,” said Authority Board Chair Tom Richards. “We value our Authority team and its tireless support and collaboration with local and regional agencies and stakeholders as we work together to improve transportation in California for future generations.”
According to the release, the Palmdale to Burbank Project Section will connect two key population centers in Los Angeles County by linking future multimodal transportation hubs in Palmdale and Burbank.
The Board approved the SR14A Alternative, which runs partly along Highway 14 and is about 38 miles long.
All that remains to environmentally clear the full 494-mile Phase 1 system of the project is the Los Angeles to Anaheim segment, which the Authority expects to finalize next year.
The release said the Authority has started work to extend the 119 miles currently under construction to 171 miles of future electrified high-speed rail from Merced to Bakersfield.
There are currently more than 25 active construction sites in the Central Valley, with the Authority having now fully environmentally cleared 463 miles of the high-speed rail program from the Bay Area to Los Angeles County, according to the release.
