Transportation1: California To Create A Multi-Modal State Network

In order for high-speed rail (HSR) systems

. . . . . . to reach their maximum ridership and

. . . . . . revenue potential,

. . . they’ll need to connect with local transit services

. . . so longer-distance travelers

. . . can get to their final destination sans-automobile.

And in no place is that more evident than California,

. . . where the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA)

. . . plans to build an 800-mile statewide system

. . . that will link a handful of major metropolitan areas

. . . . . . Sacramento,

. . . . . . San Francisco,

. . . . . . Los Angeles and

. . . . . . San Diego chief among them.

The state is using federal funds to begin construction on the initial segment

. . . in the Central Valley, as well as conduct

. . . . . . planning,

. . . . . . environmental and

. . . . . . engineering work on the remainder of the corridor.

California transit agencies are doing some HSR planning, too,

. . . as they work to incorporate the statewide system

. . . into their long-range programs.

By ensuring high-speed and transit systems connect

. . . be it by serving the same stations in major metropolitan areas,

. . . operating on schedules that enable HSR passengers

. . . . . . to hop on a local bus or train in a timely manner,

. . . or completing mutually beneficial projects

. . . CHSRA and California transit agencies

. . . will be able to operate an interconnected,

. . . . . . multi-modal state transit network.