The California High-Speed Rail Authority recently made public for review the final environmental impact report for the Los Angeles-to-Anaheim section of its statewide rail system.
If the environmental report is cleared with a vote by the authority’s Board of Directors — the governing body of nine members is scheduled to meet Oct. 28-29 — Phase 1 of the High-Speed Rail system would have full environmental clearance.
The 30-mile stretch of rail linking Los Angeles to Anaheim is the final leg of the system’s Phase 1, which is designed to span 494 miles and link San Francisco to Anaheim, with stops including San José, Merced, Fresno, Bakersfield and Burbank.
Officials estimate that travelers would be able to commute the entire length in 2 hours and 40 minutes or less.
The environmental report makes sure the project is in legal compliance with state and federal environmental protection laws before construction on the section can begin.
Unlike northern portions of Phase 1 where crews are laying fresh track — construction is active across 119 miles in the Central Valley, according to the authority — the segment from Los Angeles to Anaheim would use an existing rail corridor that travels through the cities of Los Angeles, Vernon, Commerce, Bell, Montebello, Pico Rivera, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, portions of unincorporated LA County, La Mirada, Buena Park, Fullerton and Anaheim.
Phase 2 is the planned extension of the network north to Sacramento and south through the Inland Empire to San Diego. That second stage has yet to have a final route or construction timeline.
At build-out, the system that California voters first approved $10 billion in funding for in 2008 — cost estimates have since ballooned to the hundreds of billions — would provide speedy public transit on more than 800 miles of track and connect the major population centers of Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Orange County, and San Diego.
Members of the public had the opportunity earlier this year to comment on the draft environmental report. The final report includes responses to the public comments received on the draft.
The final environmental impact report and associated documents can be accessed online at hsr.ca.gov.
The electronic copies of the report may be viewed in-person at several repository locations, which are also listed on the authority’s website and by appointment at the authority’s Southern California Regional Office at 355 S Grand Avenue, Suite 2050 in Los Angeles. Appointments can be made by emailing Los.Angeles_Anaheim@hsr.ca.gov.