Federal Railroad Administrator Announces
Federal Railroad Administrator Allan Rutter today announced a $1,250,000
grant to the California High-Speed Rail Authority for the preparation of
environmental and technical studies for the proposed Statewide California
High-Speed Rail System.
“I am very pleased to announce this grant agreement and am confident
that it will aid efforts to promote high-speed rail development in
California,” said Rutter. “California
is one of the leaders among states making efforts to develop high-speed rail in
addressing its long-term transportation needs.”
The grant is governed by a cooperative agreement under which contractors will prepare studies and reports in support of the Draft Program Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed statewide high-speed rail system. Environmental issues such as noise and vibration will be analyzed by regional teams. In addition, work will be performed to enable identification of key engineering criteria to be used in defining environmental impacts. The cooperative agreement will also cover technical studies for each of the five regions (Los Angeles-Orange County-San Diego Corridor, Sacramento - Bakersfield, Bakersfield-Los Angeles, Bay Area-Merced, and Los Angeles-Riverside-San Diego) that comprise the proposed system.
Mobility linking key urban areas is vital to American
society. A number of state
Departments of Transportation are implementing or considering implementing
high-speed ground transportation systems on existing or new rights-of-way as a
viable alternative to increased highway and airport congestion.
The Federal Railroad Administration conducts varied programs and
initiatives intended to address future transportation challenges.
Among them, the Next Generation High-Speed Rail Program is based
on partnerships with suppliers of technology, railroads, and State governments. The program supports the development and implementation
of safe, cost-effective high-speed rail technology on existing infrastructure.