Proposed Rail Project Would Bring Trains from L.A. to Coachella Valley

A new rail project may be coming to the Coachella Valley, reports Steven Sharp for Urbanize Los Angeles. "Earlier this month, the Riverside County Transportation Commission published a draft environmental study for the Coachella Valley rail project, which calls for running two daily round-trip trains between Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and either the City of Indio or the City of Coachella."

"The first"—and recommended—"build option under study would serve the full 144 mile corridor between Los Angeles and the City of Coachella. Within the western section of the project area, trains would make use of existing infrastructure, including stations in the Cities of Fullerton and Riverside." 

In addition to being a thriving agricultural region, the Coachella Valley, which includes Palm Springs, plays host to a variety of festivals, conventions, and events that bring more than 3 million visitors to the area each year. Riverside County Transportation Commission Chair and Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem Jan Harnik says "I see this as a transformational project – it will truly change how people travel between Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley." If approved, the project "could start construction within 10 years of the completion of the environmental study" and is estimated to cost around $1 billion.