Bay Area Council Applauds Key Decision on High-Speed Rail Valley-to-Valley Segment

The California High-Speed Rail Authority on Thursday (April 28) unanimously approved the environmental review for the Central Valley to San Jose Diridon Station segment of the project, which promises to slash travel times and improve mobility in both regions. When completed, the Valley-to-Valley high-speed rail segment will enable someone to travel from Fresno to Silicon Valley in just an hour, compared to the three hours it takes by car today. The Authority’s action is a critical milestone that moves the project section closer to being “shovel ready” for when pre-construction and construction funding becomes available. The Bay Area Council was a strong advocate for approving the environmental review, and a joint commentary by CEO Jim Wunderman, Central Valley Community Foundation CEO Ashley Swearingen and Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Ahmad Thomas that appeared ahead of Thursday’s vote argued that high-speed rail is key for California’s competitiveness and that the Valley-to-Valley connection will expand access to good-paying jobs, affordable housing, and emissions free transportation for millions of Californians.

The Bay Area Council during our upcoming D.C. advocacy trip (see below) will be urging U.S. Department of Transportation leadership to appropriate $10 billion of funding for high-speed rail across the US that was originally part of President Biden’s “Build Back Better” package. We’re also joining with other advocates to urge the California Legislature to authorize $4.2 billion in bond funding from a statewide ballot measure approved by voters. To learn more about California High-Speed Rail, please contact Gwen Litvak, Senior Vice President of Public Policy.