California to apply for Florida

The California High-Speed Rail Authority voted unanimously to apply for all of the high-speed rail funding recently returned to the federal government by the state of Florida. The Authority Board of Directors approved the staff recommendation that California pursue the $2.43 billion recently made available and offer a 20 percent state match in order to make California more competitive for these funds. The funds could allow the completion of the entire backbone of the statewide system - linking Merced and Bakersfield, including stations in each respective city. In addition to completing the backbone, it could also allow the Authority to build either north or south - north 39 additional miles toward the Bay Area or south, past Bakersfield, up to the Tehachapi Mountains. Obtaining just over half of Florida's money, along with the state match, would still give the Authority the potential to lay the track that will connect Merced to Bakersfield - the critical "backbone" of the statewide system where high-speed trains will travel at 220 miles per hour and ensure that California's system is competitive with other modes of travel. "California has proven that it can and will lead the nation with a vision of true high-speed rail," said Curt Pringle, Chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board. "Every mile of track laid in the Central Valley represents another step toward realizing a statewide system to connect north and south, which will bring private investment, job creation, and economic strength to California." Florida's declined funding, if re-allocated to California, has the potential to create up to 64,000 jobs. "Applying every new dollar to extend construction of our system's backbone in the Central Valley is the logical next step to build toward connecting our system into metropolitan areas," said Roelof van Ark, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. "A continued and long-term commitment from the federal government is needed in order to give the very interested private sector the confidence it needs to invest." At a special Board meeting of the Authority, residents and elected officials from the Merced and Bakersfield communities spoke in support of vying for the re-allocated funds in order to complete the system's backbone. Governor Jerry Brown has joined California's two U.S. Senators in supporting as many of the re-allocated dollars as possible being redirected to California, urging the President to reallocate the funds to California and saying "The $2 billion that Florida rejected are more than welcome here." Under the Authority's proposal, electrifying the track, purchasing the trains, and operating passenger service would come at a later phase of development.