High-speed rail authority narrows bullet trains routes through LA, San Gabriel Valley, Orange County
State officials on Thursday solidified their support for a “preferred” high-speed rail route through Southern California that would travel through San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and Orange County communities.
During the California High Speed Rail Authority’s meeting in Burbank, residents from Acton to communities in the San Fernando Valley spoke against putting the project’s paths through their neighborhoods along the northern section. But a 14-mile portion from Burbank to Los Angeles Union Station, and a 30-mile portion from Los Angeles Union Station to Anaheim, got minimal push-back.
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A representative of the mostly industrial city of Vernon told the board the project could affect 21 businesses in their city, including some of their largest energy users. The city generates revenue through its light and power department.
The southern section includes not just Vernon, but also Commerce, Pico Rivera, La Mirada and Fullerton.
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The authority’s staff offered a single route for the section that mostly follows an existing rail corridor, with stations in Los Angeles, Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs, Fullerton and Anaheim.
The board had the option to not build this option, but voted instead to identify it is as their “preferred alternative” that will be studied as part of an environmental impact review. The draft of the findings for that review is expected late 2019.
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The board also voted to identify a 38.4-mile section from Palmdale to Burbank as their preferred alternative. That route was chosen over two others — all of which affects northeast Los Angeles communities — and would tunnel under Sylmar and Pacoima, and run along the surface or at an elevation in Sun Valley, before going underground near Hollywood Burbank Airport.
There was also just one option to choose from, for the section between Burbank and Los Angeles Union Station, so the board picked that as their favored route.