High-speed rail won’t become a reality in the Bay Area any time soon, after state leaders decided Thursday to push back planning to next year at the earliest.
Due to budget constraints, the Central Valley portion of the line that will connect Fresno and Bakersfield will be viewed as the first priority, High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Roelof van Ark said. Meanwhile, there will be no timetable to start construction in other areas.
The plan remains to complete the $43 billion project by 2020, but HSR officials said it’s possible a line from San Francisco to San Jose could be built on its own, rather than beginning by connecting the Central Valley section to its neighbors to the north or south.
Read Mike Rosenberg’s article ‘High-Speed Rail Planning in Bay Area Delayed by At Least One Year’.
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