SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two state legislators are pushing for a re-vote on the controversial California high-speed rail project, saying the public should have a say on whether to continue funding the bullet train, the Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported.
Vidak’s measure would allow Californians to vote on whether they want to continue funding the HSR project, which is estimated to cost $100 billion to complete, and would immediately freeze any further spending on the project until after a vote on June 7, 2016. If approved by voters, any unspent HSR dollars would be redirected to repair and/or construct new state highways and local streets and roads.
“The high-speed rail of today is not what the voters approved in 2008,” said bill sponsor state Sen. Andy Vidak, R-Hanford, in a statement announcing the effort this week. “Californians deserve the right to re-vote on this massive transportation project that could end up costing hundreds of billions of dollars if it is ever completed. The money would be better spent on local roads and highways."
The measure, which is co-authored by Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, would have to be approved by a two-thirds vote in the state Legislature and a majority vote of the public, the report said.
The high-speed rail project has been contentious statewide, including in the Santa Clarita Valley, where residents and elected officials have raised numerous concerns with its potential impacts on communities and the environment, SCVS reported.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
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The firm will lead the Tier 2 environmental review program for the Coachella Valley Rail Corridor, including the conceptual and preliminary engineering needed to develop project-level environmental clearance.
