Transit planners are hoping to nail down a route for the long-sought high speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Many in San Jose say the route must run through the Silicon Valley, a major driver of California's economy.
"After more than 10 years of planning and studies on the massive proposal, which envisions trains whizzing at 220 mph between Los Angeles and the Bay Area, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is holding a series of public hearings - including one in San Jose this afternoon - to tackle the question of where to lay the tracks."
"The authority, a state agency, is expected to choose a preferred Bay Area route by the end of October. Meanwhile, questions about how to pay for the $37 billion project loom."
"San Jose leaders, including Silicon Valley business interests, have argued for several years that the train should make a southern approach from the Central Valley through Los Banos to Gilroy and up through San Jose en route to San Francisco. That would ensure every train stops at San Jose, rather than only some of them."
FULL STORY: South Bay eager to shape high-speed rail connecting Bay Area to Los Angeles

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