(The following story by Jennifer M. Fitzenberger appeared on the Sacramento Bee website on November 11.)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Bullet trains should follow the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line through the San Joaquin Valley, stopping in Fresno and cutting west near Hanford en route to Bakersfield, California High-Speed Rail Authority staff said Wednesday.
Visalia officials, in Sacramento for the authority meeting, protested the suggestion, asking instead for a route that follows the Union Pacific line through Visalia and Tulare. Skirting most of Tulare County, they said, would limit train access for residents and tourists in the growing South Valley.
The eight-member authority on Wednesday tentatively approved routes in other parts of the state, including the section between Merced and Fresno. But the board said it would consider Visalia’s argument and revisit the Fresno-to-Bakersfield route at its December meeting.
“I think we ought to continue to look at both alternatives,” said Joseph Petrillo, chairman of the authority. “It’s not an environmental issue but more of a practical issue of cost and those other communities.”
The 700-mile system, with 200 mph-plus trains, could cost as much as $37billion and carry as many as 68million passengers per year between California’s major cities by 2020. One of the sticking points in planning the system has been what route the trains will take. Voters are expected to decide on a bond measure in 2006 to pay for part of the project.
In their recommendation Wednesday for the BNSF line, High-SpeedRail Authority staffers said the route from Merced to Bakersfield avoids many urban areas and would create fewer noise problems and property disruption than the Union Pacific route.
The BNSF and Union Pacific routes would cut through Fresno. And staff said Fresno would be a good spot for a high-speed rail station because it has good freeway access and connections to bus lines. They did not say specifically where a potential station could be built in Fresno.
The BNSF route would cost as much as $800 million less than the Union Pacific route from Fresno to Bakersfield, staff said. And it would be less disruptive for small communities such as Fowler, Selma and Kingsburg. Officials from those cities have raised concerns about trains cutting through their towns on the Union Pacific route.
Staff recommended trains on either route run nonstop between Fresno and Bakersfield, eliminating the need for a station in Tulare and Kings counties. That also has rankled Visalia officials.
“The staff is basically saying take Amtrak to Fresno or Bakersfield and switch” to high-speed rail, said Glenn Morris, executive director of the Visalia Economic Development Corp.
Visalia officials want a station somewhere along the 110-mile stretch from Fresno and Bakersfield. “We really think the station is the first issue we need to address,” Morris said.
By 2030, California’s population is expected to grow by 41% compared with 76% in Tulare County, Visalia leaders said. Thousands of tourists visit Sequoia National Park each year, and Tulare County is home to the International AgriCenter and the World Ag Expo.
“We believe there is a population in place to support high-speed rail in our area,” said Jesus Gamboa, Visalia City Council member. “If we don’t have a stop in our area, there are going to be roughly 1 million people that will go underserved.”
Said Visalia City Manager Steve Salomon: “If there is not a station in the general area … people in the future will view this as a mistake.”
Assembly Member Bill Maze, R-Visalia, wrote a letter to the authority also supporting the Union Pacific route.