After attending a High Speed Rail Authority presentation Oct. 22 at South Valley Middle School in Gilroy, one thing stood out. The project is coming through downtown Morgan Hill and Gilroy — including a station in Gilroy — with the trains at grade, however, the timeline is dependent on future funding.
When California’s “bullet train” was pitched to voters back in 2008, the cost of linking Los Angeles to San Francisco via high-speed rail was said to be about $40 billion.
But now, 16 years later, officials say it’s going to cost as much as $35 billion just to complete the 171-mile stretch between Bakersfield and Merced. Completing the entire line will require an additional $100 billion.
“At this point it’s a decision about how much rail (the public) wants and how fast,” said Boris Lipkin, Northern California Regional Director.
How it will ever live up to that promise to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco by train in less than three hours remains unknown. While some progress has been made in the past 16 years, the timeline for completion has moved back by more than a decade and cost estimates have grown by the billions.
The current focus centers on the Central Valley, where officials estimate the 171-mile line from Merced to Bakersfield will be finished between 2030 and 2033.
As far as the section from Merced to Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and eventually ending at the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, the timeline remains unknown.
When it does eventually come through, it is estimated that there will be four trains in each direction every hour passing through downtown Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
The Authority still needs to purchase land in places that is adjacent to the current tracks that CalTrain, Amtrack and freight trains use.
There are obvious benefits and drawbacks with such a massive public works project. Just the 119-mile stretch from north of Bakersfield to Merced is the most new rail miles built in the country since the Model T car was the No. 1 car in the United States, Lipkin said.
Some benefits are: enhanced mobility and connectivity, economic growth and job creation, environmental sustainability, and social equity and accessibility.
Some of the drawbacks are: cost overruns and budget concerns, environmental impacts from construction, land acquisition and community displacement, technical and operational challenges, declining public support and political controversy, and limited immediate benefits due to the extensive timeline and delays.
While the state’s high-speed rail project aims to revolutionize transportation in the state, it is essential to address its drawbacks. Cost overruns, environmental impacts, community displacement, technical challenges, public skepticism, and delayed benefits pose significant hurdles. A careful reevaluation of the project, focusing on sustainable solutions and community needs, may be necessary to ensure high-speed rail becomes a viable and effective transportation option for California.
We need our elected officials at the state, county and local level to stay engaged and ensure the best decisions are made for future generations.
