California High-Speed Rail Authority releases final environmental studies and preferred alignment into San Francisco

The Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/EIS) was released by the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) for the approximately 43-mile San Francisco to San Jose project section in Northern California.  

If approved by the CHSRA Board of Directors in August, this project section and its environmental document will complete full environmental clearance for high-speed rail in Northern California. 

“We’re making true progress on nearing full environmental clearance for the entire Phase 1 high-speed rail project,” said CHSRA CEO Brian Kelly. “With 380 miles from the Bay Area to northern Los Angeles County already complete, today’s release brings us into San Francisco and nearly 423 miles to be environmentally cleared. We look forward to the board’s consideration of this document in August.” 

The board will consider certifying the San Francisco to San Jose project section Final EIR/EIS and approving the Preferred Alternative between San Francisco and Scott Boulevard in Santa Clara during its two-day board meeting August 17 and 18. If approved, this project section will move a step closer to being shovel ready for when preconstruction and construction funding becomes available. 

Under both high-speed rail project build alternatives to be considered by the board, an interim rail station is planned at 4th & King streets in San Francisco – until the connection to Salesforce Transit Center is made – along with a station at Millbrae that offers a direct Bay Area Rapid Transit connection to San Francisco International Airport. Both Caltrain stations would undergo alterations to accommodate high-speed trains, including modifications to existing tracks and platforms. 

Both alternatives include constructing a light maintenance facility, straightening tracks to improve travel times and installing rail corridor safety improvements. The Preferred Alternative for board consideration, identified in the Final EIR/EIS as the portion of Alternative A to Scott Boulevard in Santa Clara, includes an East Brisbane Light Maintenance Facility and excludes the additional passing tracks proposed in the other build alternative studied in the Final EIR/EIS, Alternative B. 

The Final EIR/EIS includes: 

• An analysis of alternatives, including impacts and effects. 
• Mitigation measures proposed to reduce environmental impacts and effects. 
• Public comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS and Revised/Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS and responses to comments. 
• Revisions to the Draft EIR/EIS made in response to comments. 

The Final EIR/EIS can be found on the authority’s website, hsr.ca.gov. In addition to the website, printed and/or electronic copies of the Final EIR/EIS are available upon request. 

The California high-speed rail project is currently under construction along 119 miles in California’s Central Valley at 35 active job sites. To date, nearly 8,000 construction jobs have been created since the start of construction.