| - |
| Palmdale officials have lobbied hard for the
selection, citing the growing population of the Antelope
Valley that would benefit with a quicker link to downtown
Los Angeles and elsewhere. "This is great news for
the Antelope Valley," said John Brooks, a senior
analyst for the city. "It was a unanimous decision,
so we're real excited about that. The city has been
working on this for six or seven years, and the authority
has finally chosen the AV route as the preferred route.
It's very exciting." |
| - |
| The board's so-called preferred route would
run down the Central Valley from Sacramento, through
Palmdale to Los Angeles, then take an inland path through
Riverside to San Diego. There also would be
lines running to Irvine in Orange County and from the
Central Valley to Bay Area. The 200-mph rail system would
take passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in
about 2 1/2 hours. A public vote on a $10 billion bond to
start construction on the project was pushed back from
November to 2006, and could be delayed again if the
state's financial situation remains unstable. Assuming
the bond eventually is passed by the voters, finishing
the first segment of the 700-mile rail line would take at
least eight years, according to rail officials. |
| |
| The rail authority's staff report recommends the
Palmdale station be built near the Palmdale Airport
and/or Palmdale Transportation Center, with nearby
connections to the airport and Metrolink commuter rail
service. "This will have an equal impact that the
freeway had in the Antelope Valley when it was punched
through the mountains," Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford
said in September. "I think it brings you the
(Palmdale Regional) airport and a 30-minute time line to
downtown L.A. It's huge." It would take less than a
half-hour to reach downtown Los Angeles via the
high-speed train, officials said. |
| |
| The rail line is expected to have a positive impact
on the Valley's economy, as well. "I think it would
be very, very positive," Los Angeles economist Jack
Kyser has said. "People down below think the
Antelope Valley is far away, but if we had high-speed
rail, it would definitely be an economic boon for the
area...We'd have businesses saying they could relocate in
the Antelope Valley, and then draw people coming on the
high-speed rail." |
| |
 |