A new report supporting California high-speed rail and urging the state’s Legislature to immediately approve funding for the project, was released by Transform, a California-based nonprofit. The new Revised 2012 Business Plan scales back components of the project, reduces community impacts by narrowing the width of the corridor required in most urban areas, and brings the projected cost down to $68.4 billion.

Most importantly, the project is now designed to serve as the backbone of a statewide rail network, rather than an isolated system. It supports early upgrades to Caltrain and Metrolink as well as lines now used by
Amtrak and ACE, allowing those systems go faster and attract more riders. Millions of Californians will benefit from these first investments by 2018. These upgrades will also serve to ready those corridors for full
high-speed rail. It is a strong plan and sound blueprint for moving forward, stated an executive summary of the report.

“The project is now designed to serve as the backbone of a statewide rail network, rather than an isolated system,” stated TransForm’s report. “It supports early upgrades to Caltrain and Metrolink as well as lines now used by Amtrak and ACE, allowing those systems to go faster and attract more riders. Millions of Californians will benefit from these first investments by 2018. These upgrades will also serve to make those corridors more ready for full high-speed rail. It is a strong plan and sound blueprint for moving forward.”

For the full report, click here.