Merced to Bay Area high-speed rail preferred alternatives released
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) released the State’s Preferred Alternatives for the system linking Merced to San Francisco. The San Francisco to San Jose and San Jose to Merced sections are the final sections of Phase 1 where preferred alternatives needed to be identified and the selections will help guide future environmental evaluations.
In the San Jose to Merced project section, CHSRA staff recommends Alternative 4 as the State’s Preferred Alternative. Alternative 4 utilizes a blended configuration between San Jose and Gilroy in the existing Union Pacific freight corridor before continuing to a dedicated high-speed rail alignment through Pacheco Pass.
In the San Francisco to San Jose project section, CHSRA staff recommends Alternative A as the State’s Preferred Alternative. Alternative A includes a light maintenance facility on the east side of the tracks in Brisbane and does not include additional passing tracks in the middle of the corridor.
“The identification of the Preferred Alternatives is an important step in defining the program and advancing the implementation of the Authority’s Silicon Valley to Central Valley Line that will ultimately bring high-speed rail to Northern California,” said Northern California Regional Director Boris Lipkin. “In recommending Preferred Alternatives, we aim to find the right balance between system performance characteristics, environmental factors and community factors.”
The release of the preferred alternatives also kicks off a comprehensive outreach campaign aimed at gathering feedback from the public on the routes for CHSRA Board of Directors to consider when they make the final route recommendations in September.
In September, staff will present their recommendations along with the feedback received during outreach and will seek direction from the Board of Directors for which alternatives to identify as the state’s preferred routes. The draft environmental documents are due out in December 2019 for the San Jose to Merced project section and in March 2020 for the San Francisco to San Jose project section. Final route decisions will be made at the conclusion of the environmental review process.
More information about when and where CHSRA will hold public meetings throughout August can be found on the authority’s website.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
