High-speed rail construction projects have frequently required long tunnels to reduce travel time and distance. With the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) considering a 16-mile long tunnel along the Palmdale to Burbank project section, the Mineta Transportation Institute looked into similar tunnels already constructed around the world.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) awarded SENER the contract to develop the engineering and environmental services for the Palmdale to Burbank section of the California high-speed line.
Construction has begun on the first aerial structure that will eventually host 200 mph rail as part of the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s high-speed project.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) received five qualified bids for Construction Package 4 (CP4) – the next 22-mile mile phase of construction through the counties of Tulare and Kern and the cities of Wasco and Shafter.
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) granted authorization to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to construct a 114-mile segment of the planned 800-mile route between Fresno and Bakersfield, subject to environmental mitigation conditions.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) Board of Directors certified the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the Fresno to Bakersfield project section of the high-speed rail program and approved a high-speed rail alignment within the Fresno to Bakersfield project section.
A Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/EIS) for the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (CHSRA) Fresno to Bakersfield section of the project is now available.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) received five qualified bids for the next 60-mile phase of high-speed rail construction from Fresno to the Tulare-Kern County line near Bakersfield, which will be worth $1.5 to $2 billion.
California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (CHSRA) Board of Directors approved right-of-way engineering and surveying contracts with five California firms.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) received five qualified bids for the next 60-mile phase of high-speed rail construction from Fresno south to the Tulare-Kern County line near Bakersfield, a contract worth $1.5 to $2 billion.
Tutor Perini Corporation’s joint venture has executed a contract with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) for the design and construction of the initial Madera to Fresno segment of the California high-speed rail system.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) hired Frank Vacca, chief engineer of Amtrak, as its chief program manager. Vacca has more than 35 years of experience in commuter, intercity and high-speed passenger rail systems.
The Regional Council of the Southern California Association of Governments approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the California High Speed Rail Authority, other Southern California Transportation Agencies, San Diego Association of Governments and Metrolink to upgrade existing regional rail systems.
California’s Caltrain is preparing to conduct a series of feasibility studies to determine whether the electrification and modernization of the commuter rail system can be designed and constructed to meet Caltrain’s future operational needs, while also accommodating initial high-speed rail operations on the Peninsula corridor.
The analysis marks the first time Caltrain has undertaken an independent assessment of the commuter rail agency’s infrastructure needs in a manner that focuses on the possible additional elements that could be necessary to operate an initial level of high-speed rail service in the future on the Caltrain right-of-way.
In 2009, following the approval of billions of dollars in state and federal high-speed rail funding, Caltrain engaged in a collaborative effort with the California High Speed Rail Authority to jointly plan, design and construct the project between San Francisco and San Jose. The goal was to accommodate high-speed rail in a manner that provided meaningful assistance to Caltrain’s long-term modernization goals.
In 2010, after the selection of the Central Valley as the starting point for the statewide high-speed rail project, Caltrain announced that it would reexamine its approach and called on CHSRA to revise its planning process to study the concept of phased implementation of the project.
At its February Board meeting, CHSRA CEO Roelof Van Ark directed Authority staff to analyze the potential for a phased approach on the Peninsula. The CHSRA Board is scheduled to receive more detail about this approach at its May meeting to be held in San Jose.
In a phased approach, the first phase is envisioned to electrify the Caltrain system and potentially allow CHSRA to operate enough service to satisfy initial ridership demand. Subsequent phases would expand the capacity of the system to meet additional ridership demand if needed.
Additional studies that will be part of the planning exercise will include ridership projections, service plans, cost estimates and impacts analyses. The planning effort would inform the HSR draft environmental document, scheduled for public release in the Fall of 2012.
Modernization would generate additional revenue for the system by attracting more riders. If the project proceeds on time this additional revenue would reduce the agency’s operating deficit by 45 percent in 2019.
Modernization includes electrification of the corridor, installation of a new signaling system and the operation of electric trains.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced that it has successfully negotiated the purchase of Los Angeles Union Station from Catellus Operating Limited Partnership for $75 million.
The direct purchase includes 38 acres of land and 5.9 million square-feet of entitlements that provide Metro the right to build on the property and draw lease revenues from both transit operators and businesses. Currently, the station is home to Amtrak, Metrolink, Metro Red and Purple Lines, Metro Gold Line, L.A. FlyAway and numerous Metro and municipal bus lines serving Los Angeles County and beyond. The station is also home to several new retail businesses.
"As Southern California’s largest public transportation hub, Los Angeles Union Station is absolutely critical to the current and future mobility of our region," said L.A. county supervisor Don Knabe, chairman of the Metro Board of Directors. "Our purchase of this historic station will enable us to make the needed investments to enable this facility to accommodate greater increases in transit ridership resulting from Measure R transit projects and anticipated future arrival of high-speed rail. We now have the ability to retain the historic nature of Union Station and prepare it to serve as a world-class 21st century transportation hub."
Metro’s negotiations with the seller began in November 2010. In the seller’s interest to conduct an expedited sale, Metro will purchase the station independently. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has indicated an interest in partial ownership of the station as it continues efforts to bring high-speed rail service to the region.
"Union Station is a critical transportation hub for the high-speed rail system, providing passenger access and intermodal connectivity," said Roelof van Ark, CHSRA CEO. "The High-Speed Rail Authority has identified a significant amount for their participation in this purchase and we will be working with Metro to, ultimately, determine the details behind this partnership."
The income generated from the deal supports a substantial portion of the station’s purchase price. Metro already owns Union Station’s East Portal, the adjacent Metro Headquarters building and Patsaouras Transit Plaza. Not included in the purchase agreement are Axis Union Station Apartments, the Metropolitan Water District Headquarters building or the office building in front Union Station on Alameda Street.
Following an expected April 2011 closing, Metro will review the station premises and plan for future transportation and development needs. Metro will evaluate, among others, potential efforts to add and improve pedestrian flow through Union Station, parking, and bus capacity issues on Patsarouas Transit Plaza.
Faced with a $30-million
budget deficit in the coming fiscal year that is reflective of a long-term
unsustainable economic model, Caltrain is urging the California High-Speed Rail
Authority to retain the current route between the Central Valley and San
Francisco and preserve the opportunity for Caltrain to access funding for
improvements that will help secure the operating and financial future of the
Peninsula commuter rail service. The high-speed rail authority is soliciting
public comment on the Revised Draft Program Environmental Impact Report.
High-speed rail may be
coming down the tracks one day, but the Stanislaus County, Calif., Board of
Supervisors entered into an agreement to plan and develop a regional commuter
rail system that could soon share those tracks, the Turlock Journal reports. The
Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding to
enter a working group to collaborate with the California High-Speed Rail
Authority that will see the county partner with more than 20 regional entities
from Sacramento County to Merced County.
