High-Speed Rail

A Critical Part of a World-Class Transportation System

TransForm was deeply involved in shaping the proposal for a high-speed rail system in California that voters supported in November 2008.

We believe high-speed rail is critical to achieving world-class public transportation in the Bay Area and beyond.

Read on for more on:

• The status of high-speed rail in California
• The many benefits of high-speed rail
• About Proposition 1A, the high-speed rail bond that passed in November 2008

The Status of High-Speed Rail in California

President Obama recently released a national high-speed passenger rail plan, along with $8 billion in economic recovery funding to help make this a reality.

The passage of Proposition 1A in November 2008 provides $9.95 billion dollars to catalyze the development of the 800 mile high-speed rail system; this combined with economic recovery funds gets California much closer to bringing high-speed rail to life.

The fully completed high-speed train system will run between San Diego and Sacramento, with connections to the Bay Area. View the system map on the California High-Speed Rail Authority website. Like high-speed trains in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world, California's high-speed train would run at speeds of over 220 miles per hour, making the trip between San Francisco's Transbay Terminal and Los Angeles' Union Station in two and a half hours.

TransForm will continue bringing together partners to make sure the project is well-designed and has the funding it needs to be built.

The Many Benefits of High-Speed Rail

• Climate protection
• Smarter land use
• Improved transit
• A better alternative to more highways and airports

Climate Protection

California is the twelfth largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, and nearly 40% of the state's emissions come from the transportation sector. California's landmark legislation, AB 32, requires greenhouse gases to return to 1990 levels by 2020 and to achieve levels that are 80% lower than 1990 levels by 2050.

High-speed rail (HSR) will help to achieve the state's greenhouse gas reduction goals by replacing car and airplane trips with rail trips. The California Air Resources Board has included the HSR project in the draft AB 32 Scoping Plan. By 2030, when the whole system is in place, HSR travel is anticipated to reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions by up to 12 billion pounds of CO2 per year.

At their September 2008 meeting, the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board approved a goal of using 100% renewable, carbon-free electricity to run the system. Doing so would ensure the emission reduction benefits are not reduced by the consumption of electrical power. Read the feasibility study.

A report by the Center for Clean Air Policy, a non-profit based in Washington DC, and the Center for Neighborhood Technology analyzed proposals for high-speed train systems across the United States. They concluded that the emissions savings in California were equal to the savings in all of the other 11 corridors they studied -- combined. That is due to the high population densities (which will be much higher in 2030) and the significant air travel that will be replaced. The other systems were generally slower too, more similar to Amtrak's Acela system used on the East Coast.

Smarter Land Use

In a major victory for the environmental community, the California High-Speed Rail Authority committed a few years ago to rejecting the easier I-5 Alignment through farms and open space and to focusing new stations in downtowns and at existing transit hubs. The development of a high-speed train linking California's major cities to each other could help retain existing downtowns as the primary economic centers of California. But as was learned from BART's early years, good land use does not automatically follow new transit; policies must be in place to link investments in the high-speed train with supportive land use.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has adopted land use guidelines that call for a mix of uses, compact development patterns, limited, market-rate parking, and bicycle and pedestrian access to ensure that the neighborhoods around stations will support livability and higher transit use.

The Authority has hired a world-class team led by Prof. Elizabeth Deakin at UC Berkeley to help develop a plan for Central Valley stations. It is now bringing world-renowned Peter Calthorpe on board to build a vision for land use along the whole HSR corridor.

Read TransForm's 2007 article in SPUR's newsletter on the potential for smarter land use, and a great overview of the California High-Speed Train.

It should be noted that Proposition 1A specifically prohibited the development of a station between Gilroy and Merced, addressing a concern about the potential to induce sprawl if a station was built in Los Banos.

California's high-speed trains will use state-of the-art electrified vehicles capable of speeds of up to 220 mph, similar to those currently operating in Europe and Asia. The line will consist of new infrastructure often in or alongside existing transportation corridors. The entire HSR system will be grade-separated from parallel and crossing roads. Designed in coordination with the state's existing public transit network, the trains have the potential to share tracks at reduced speeds with conventional trains such as Caltrain and will act as a strong feeder system to urban transit systems.

Improved Transit

The high-speed rail bond helps fund upgrades to local and regional rail lines including grade separations, electrification of rail lines, and station improvements. It will also support local transit by infusing thousands of riders into transit hubs every day.

A Better Alternative to More Highways and Airports

California is going to reach a population of 50 to 60 million people over the next 25 to 45 years. There is going to be a growing need to accommodate the growing travel demand. When we don't provide access to effective transit, the demand for highways and airports intensifies greatly.

The environmental footprint of new highways is tremendous; widening existing roads requires large new interchanges and expanded feeder roads. In contrast, a HSR system will largely rely on existing rail corridors.

When we consider spending public dollars on the high-speed rail system, we must weigh this project against the costs of alternatives. For example:

• Caltrans estimates it will cost about $6 billion (2006 dollars) to widen Highway 99 from four lanes to six. Meeting interstate requirements and widening to eight lanes is estimated to cost $20-25 billion. [Caltrans (2005). Route 99 Corridor Enhancement Plan: Unifying the Aesthetic Treatment of Highway Improvement.] Demand for this project is intense; it was the only project earmarked in the recent transportation bond.
• The California Transportation Commission identified $28.5 billion in high priority highway expansion projects for a 10-year period. Over two-thirds of these dollars are needed for projects in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Riverside -- all areas that would be served by HSR. [California Transportation Commission (1999). Inventory Of Ten Year Funding Needs for California's Transportation System. Total cost adjusted to reflect 2007 dollar value.]
• The cost of all construction in the LAX Master Plan is estimated to total $11 billion. [Master Plan LAX. About the Program: Frequently Asked Questions.]

About Proposition 1A, the High-Speed Rail Bond that Passed in November 2008

TransForm and many members of the Regional Coalition had a significant impact on the proposal for a high-speed train system in California that culminated in Proposition 1A. TransForm led the effort to have the California High-Speed Rail Authority agree to power the train entirely with renewable energy. The Authority also agreed to fund community-based plans near future train stations, require bicycle and pedestrian access and supportive land uses, and protect important wetlands.

After a five-month process with significant input from TransForm's regional coalition, TransForm's Board of Directors voted to support Proposition 1A: the High-Speed Rail ballot measure. Passage of Proposition 1A provides $9.95 billion dollars to catalyze the development of the 800 mile high-speed rail system, and make improvements to existing rail networks. Read the announcement by Stuart Cohen, TransForm's Executive Director, in November 2008.

In November 2008, Californians voted to support Proposition 1A, a large down payment to make high-speed rail a reality in California.