The bullet train, or high-speed rail concept, has been pursued in California since the 1980s when a company called American High Speed Rail planned a rail line from Los Angeles to San Diego, but scrapped the project because of local opposition and lack of funding.
Over the last 15 years, the idea of a statewide system has gained support, and was formalized in 1996 when the nine-member California High-speed Rail Authority was established. The Authority is responsible for planning, designing, constructing and operating a state-of-the-art high-speed rail system. Members are appointed by the governor, state senate, and state assembly.
The system that has been proposed stretches from San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento in the north through the Central Valley to Los Angeles and San Diego in the south. With bullet trains operating at speeds up to 220 mph, the express travel time from downtown San Francisco to Los Angeles is about 2-1/2 hours.
Citation: above background from California High-Speed Rail Authority.
SCVAS supports mass transit for its obvious benefits of efficiency, energy savings, and pollution and carbon emission reduction.
Bullet Train Route
through Pacheco Pass
Our concern is the potential impact of the northern corridor that will link the Central Valley to the Bay Area. The route runs over Pacheco Pass along Highway 152 and north to Gilroy. This corridor is near the Bolsa de San Felipe Important Bird Area, a seasonal wetland that is home to winter migratory birds and other wildlife. It will also pass through agricultural areas south of Gilroy that are valuable for food production and open space.
Additionally, the proposed route from the Central Valley east of Pacheco Pass, would pass through significant Central Valley wetland habitat critical to wintering waterfowl populations.
As always, we must continually monitor plans, construction, and promised mitigations on this large-scale project.
How you can help!
• Watch for any articles and news about this project.
• Review any updates about the San Jose - Merced section of the route from the California High-Speed Rail Authority and contact us if you find any issues.
• You can help with this or other projects that interest you by becoming a Volunteer for Conservation. There are many ways that you can help from simply speaking out as part of our Conservation Action Alert Network to joining our Environmental Action Committee (EAC).
• Make a tax-deductible donation to support this and other local conservation efforts.
Updated November 2012