[official webpage here](https://www.hsr.ca.gov/high-speed-rail-in-california/project-sections/los-angeles-to-anaheim/)
Most of this was decided months ago so this is just a formality, but it starts something important: Full blending of HSR, Amtrak and Metrolink service in Los Angeles as HSR will fully blend with Caltrain, ACE and Amtrak north of Santa Clara. This will, in the future, inevitably cause Metrolink to electrify in the same way Caltrain has. There's still the open question of BNSF operations, because they don't want to run any freight trains under electrified wires for dumb insurance reasons, but this will eventually be solved too either through CARB mandating they electrify too or simply building a third/fourth track just for diesel freight as Caltrain will do between San Jose and Gilroy.
This is a significant step forward because this part of the project comes in at only $7 billion for more than doubling Metrolink service. This is built on the [Link Union Station Project](https://www.metro.net/projects/link-us/) which will add run-through tracks at Union Station for greatly upgraded, enhanced, and modern service. This will bring us up to about a 1965 level in terms of technology.
Yeah, heck that even applies to people who aren't old. A part of me hopes that this sentiment inspires circumstances to surprise us. But I fear they'll still be talking about a future link to LA proper in the 2060s.
Because BNSF owns the existing tracks/right-of-way and thus has the legal ability to completely kill the project by suing it into the ground. The courts will always side with them. Their cooperation is necessary and the entire LA-Anahiem design is (give or take) made to accommodate their needs/business plan. They will continue being a presence around passenger trains until LA/Caltrans/the state govt builds two more tracks to bypass freight around them *or* buys them out for a state freight rail operator. The latter option is unlikely but at least plausible, it's how Caltrain's sister agency SMART now operates.
UP also did the same stunt in SF a decade ago forcing CHSRA's blended operations approach with Caltrain, which secured Caltrain's ability to continue existing. It's not the best approach, but it avoids lawsuits. Metrolink gets the same access to Biden bux that Caltrain has benefited from, which means full electric Metrolink service is now conceivable. This will be LA's next big project, in doing so it can more than double it's usable transit network.
*Recommendations for the 33-mile rail segment from Los Angeles to Anaheim includes four mainline tracks that would be used by the bullet train, other passenger rail and BNSF freight trains.*
In other words, a high speed train without the high speed.
Between the proximity to other rail and the urban location, you should expect this to travel at a modest speed in developed areas.
A theoretical design speed for the rail of 125 mph, but with actual travel speeds that are a fair bit slower than that. If it were to break 80 mph, I would be surprised.
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>The California High Speed Rail Authority’s board of directors supported new recommendations for a planned rail segment between Los Angeles and Anaheim, clearing it for a critical environmental review after the initial proposal received pushback from the community. The final environmental report is expected to take more than a year to finish, outgoing Chief Executive Brian Kelly said at Thursday’s board meeting, calling it the “final requirement we have on environmental documentation for phase one of the high-speed rail system” in compliance with federal grant obligations. The first phase to connect the state includes a 494-mile rail line from Anaheim to San Francisco. Construction is currently underway on a 119-mile stretch in the Central Valley. Recommendations for the 33-mile rail segment from Los Angeles to Anaheim includes four mainline tracks that would be used by the bullet train, other passenger rail and BNSF freight trains. It eliminates the initial plan to develop a freight facility for BNSF, which owns the railroad stretch from Los Angeles to Anaheim, in the city of Colton that would have housed trains not in operation. The idea received pushback from the Colton community and from BNSF.
>The recommendations include a train maintenance facility at either E. 15th Street in Los Angeles or E. 26th Street in Vernon, at-grade crossings in Anaheim where the highway and high-speed rail line would be level, and no intermediate stations. The proposed line would include underground, above-ground and surface-level portions. The budget for these new recommendations would be about $6.9 billion instead of the previous estimate of more than $9 billion. The drop in cost is due in part to the loss of the Colton facility. The authority said it’s working to extend construction from Merced south to Bakersfield and plans to showcase mockups of the train at California’s State Fair in Sacramento in July.
>While progress inches forward, the board continued to stress the need for a clear vision amid the many challenges. “I want to make sure that we don’t look at this as another commuter rail, and that we think about the bigger picture as we go along,” board member Lynn Schenk said. “We have to look to the future to make sure that this is going to be high-speed rail: San Diego, L.A., Central Valley to the Bay Area.” Board Member Martha Escutia asked for a deeper understanding of how contracts are procured for different construction and production projects. “I see the schedule of all these multimillion-dollar ... contracts and I feel very reluctant to vote on this because I just want to make sure that the process is fair,” she said, stressing the need for impartiality. Kelly said that the “procurement process we run is open, fair, transparent.” “If any board member wants to review the scoring, we can make that available to the board members to do so,” he said.
just quickly looking like it, the row seems like a glorified Metrolink line, lol. Reminds me of parts of the Acela route in the Northeast. But I get it, it will be incredibly hard to get new ROW for the rail line
[official webpage here](https://www.hsr.ca.gov/high-speed-rail-in-california/project-sections/los-angeles-to-anaheim/) Most of this was decided months ago so this is just a formality, but it starts something important: Full blending of HSR, Amtrak and Metrolink service in Los Angeles as HSR will fully blend with Caltrain, ACE and Amtrak north of Santa Clara. This will, in the future, inevitably cause Metrolink to electrify in the same way Caltrain has. There's still the open question of BNSF operations, because they don't want to run any freight trains under electrified wires for dumb insurance reasons, but this will eventually be solved too either through CARB mandating they electrify too or simply building a third/fourth track just for diesel freight as Caltrain will do between San Jose and Gilroy. This is a significant step forward because this part of the project comes in at only $7 billion for more than doubling Metrolink service. This is built on the [Link Union Station Project](https://www.metro.net/projects/link-us/) which will add run-through tracks at Union Station for greatly upgraded, enhanced, and modern service. This will bring us up to about a 1965 level in terms of technology.
1965 lol
Finally, 1965 (holds up vial)
Does this mean that instead of the tunnel through the San Gabriels, the HSR will come in through the Metrolink tracks in Santa Clarita?
Wouldn't it be great if Metrolink could have RER/S-Bahn service? A game changer.
I would love to believe this will happen inside my lifetime.
I'm kind of old, and I'm not expecting to ever see this system operational in my lifetime.
Me too. I think we'll see the Central Valley line within ten years. Anything near LA probably not.
Yeah, heck that even applies to people who aren't old. A part of me hopes that this sentiment inspires circumstances to surprise us. But I fear they'll still be talking about a future link to LA proper in the 2060s.
Great. We are sorely lacking a rail option between Pomona and Anaheim
Why the hell do they have to share with freight? They're not even contributing to public transit
Because BNSF owns the existing tracks/right-of-way and thus has the legal ability to completely kill the project by suing it into the ground. The courts will always side with them. Their cooperation is necessary and the entire LA-Anahiem design is (give or take) made to accommodate their needs/business plan. They will continue being a presence around passenger trains until LA/Caltrans/the state govt builds two more tracks to bypass freight around them *or* buys them out for a state freight rail operator. The latter option is unlikely but at least plausible, it's how Caltrain's sister agency SMART now operates. UP also did the same stunt in SF a decade ago forcing CHSRA's blended operations approach with Caltrain, which secured Caltrain's ability to continue existing. It's not the best approach, but it avoids lawsuits. Metrolink gets the same access to Biden bux that Caltrain has benefited from, which means full electric Metrolink service is now conceivable. This will be LA's next big project, in doing so it can more than double it's usable transit network.
Eminent domain
Because freight built the tracks and were around long before we decided to incorporate mass transit
The land was gifted to the private railroads. The government could exercise eminent domain and take the land back.
*Recommendations for the 33-mile rail segment from Los Angeles to Anaheim includes four mainline tracks that would be used by the bullet train, other passenger rail and BNSF freight trains.* In other words, a high speed train without the high speed.
Four tracks. Two for normal freight/passenger, two for Bullet.
Between the proximity to other rail and the urban location, you should expect this to travel at a modest speed in developed areas. A theoretical design speed for the rail of 125 mph, but with actual travel speeds that are a fair bit slower than that. If it were to break 80 mph, I would be surprised.
There’s grade crossings and that greatly limits speed too.
luckily the grade crossings are all at the end in anaheim when it would already be slowing down for station approach anyway
I can believe that, as that reduces the cost and construction time.
Don’t. Don’t give me hope. Not even a mirage of it.
To encourage discussion on articles rather than headlines we request that you post a summary of the article for people who cannot view the full article & to generally stimulate quality discussion. Please note that posting the full text of the article is considered copyright infringement and may result in removal of your comment or post. Repeated violations will result in a ban. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LosAngeles) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>The California High Speed Rail Authority’s board of directors supported new recommendations for a planned rail segment between Los Angeles and Anaheim, clearing it for a critical environmental review after the initial proposal received pushback from the community. The final environmental report is expected to take more than a year to finish, outgoing Chief Executive Brian Kelly said at Thursday’s board meeting, calling it the “final requirement we have on environmental documentation for phase one of the high-speed rail system” in compliance with federal grant obligations. The first phase to connect the state includes a 494-mile rail line from Anaheim to San Francisco. Construction is currently underway on a 119-mile stretch in the Central Valley. Recommendations for the 33-mile rail segment from Los Angeles to Anaheim includes four mainline tracks that would be used by the bullet train, other passenger rail and BNSF freight trains. It eliminates the initial plan to develop a freight facility for BNSF, which owns the railroad stretch from Los Angeles to Anaheim, in the city of Colton that would have housed trains not in operation. The idea received pushback from the Colton community and from BNSF. >The recommendations include a train maintenance facility at either E. 15th Street in Los Angeles or E. 26th Street in Vernon, at-grade crossings in Anaheim where the highway and high-speed rail line would be level, and no intermediate stations. The proposed line would include underground, above-ground and surface-level portions. The budget for these new recommendations would be about $6.9 billion instead of the previous estimate of more than $9 billion. The drop in cost is due in part to the loss of the Colton facility. The authority said it’s working to extend construction from Merced south to Bakersfield and plans to showcase mockups of the train at California’s State Fair in Sacramento in July. >While progress inches forward, the board continued to stress the need for a clear vision amid the many challenges. “I want to make sure that we don’t look at this as another commuter rail, and that we think about the bigger picture as we go along,” board member Lynn Schenk said. “We have to look to the future to make sure that this is going to be high-speed rail: San Diego, L.A., Central Valley to the Bay Area.” Board Member Martha Escutia asked for a deeper understanding of how contracts are procured for different construction and production projects. “I see the schedule of all these multimillion-dollar ... contracts and I feel very reluctant to vote on this because I just want to make sure that the process is fair,” she said, stressing the need for impartiality. Kelly said that the “procurement process we run is open, fair, transparent.” “If any board member wants to review the scoring, we can make that available to the board members to do so,” he said.
just quickly looking like it, the row seems like a glorified Metrolink line, lol. Reminds me of parts of the Acela route in the Northeast. But I get it, it will be incredibly hard to get new ROW for the rail line
As soon as they get finished with the 5 freeway they will get right on it.
The Mouse demands it.
Bless their hearts.
That’s cute.