As a result of a critical lawsuit that California high-speed rail opponents lost last March, a bill to release $1.1 billion in 2008 bond funds has been advanced to fund high-speed rail 'bookend' projects, particularly Caltrain electrification.
Juliet Williams of the Associated Press writes about new legislation critical to urban transportation improvements in southern California and the Bay Area, particularly electrification of the crowded 55-mile Caltrain commuter line that connects Silicon Valley to San Francisco. The diesel-powered line has the third highest 'ridership per mile' among commuter lines in the United States.
Last March, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny ruled against Kings County and two Central Valley farmers, who claimed that the California High-Speed Rail Authority's plan violated the will of the voters in 2008 who supported the $9.95 billion bond measure (Proposition 1A) that authorized the San Francisco to Los Angeles high-speed rail project.
While the authority had sold $1.1 billion of those bonds, funds were not released due to litigation that hamstrung the authority.
An amended bill, AB 1889: High-Speed Rail Authority: high-speed train operation, written by Assemblyman Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco), would allow those funds to be spent on what are called 'bookend' and connectivity projects because they refer to connecting transit systems at both ends of the line. However, legislation was needed to clarify that these funds are separate and not dependent on the 800-mile line being built.
"What we're trying to clarify is that this does serve the purpose of that but we don't have to wait for the entire corridor of high-speed rail track to be built for the money to be ready to be spent," said Mullin's legislative director, Andrew Zingale.
AB 1889 allows for $1.1 funds to be appropriated to the designated transit agencies.
"This bill would provide for the purposes of that appropriation that the approval by the authority that a corridor or usable segment thereof would be suitable and ready for high-speed train operation is conclusive," states the bill text.
The bill is in the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee having passed the Assembly in its original version that dealt with a different issue.
Other transit agencies that may receive funding from the $1.1 billion include MUNI, BART, Sacramento Regional Transit, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Altamont Commuter Express, Amtrak San Joaquin corridor, LA Metro, Metrolink, San Diego Trolley, and San Diego Coaster. For more information, see the authority's "High-Speed Rail Connectivity and Bookends" [PDF].
FULL STORY: Bill Would Permit Use of Bullet Train Bonds for Caltrain Upgrade
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Orlando Pledges to Improve Walkability
A city report highlights successes and failures in building safer transportation infrastructure and reducing VMT in 2023.
New York Transit Agency Launches Performance Dashboard
The tool increases transparency about the agency’s performance on a variety of metrics.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.