California high-speed rail gets a boost in Palmdale
On Tuesday, the City Council of Palmdale, CA, approved a plan that can be used by developers, property owners, city leaders and others as they begin developing the roughly 750 acres around the Palmdale Transportation Center.
The plan advances the state’s vision of high-speed rail as a driver of sustainable development and the foundation of an integrated transportation network. Palmdale’s mayor, Steve Hofbauer, noted that “the concept is to have all the different modes—California High-Speed Rail, Metrolink, local transit, Brightline West, Amtrak, Greyhound and future light rail—in one location. This plan will accomplish that and more. It will help create a vibrant city center that will be an important part of our future.”
The Palmdale Transportation Center will be located 80 miles south of Bakersfield, the southern terminus of the first, 119-mile segment of California’s high-speed line. Palmdale is about halfway between Bakersfield and Los Angeles. The corridor connecting Bakersfield and Palmdale will be built during the next phase of construction. The California High Speed Rail Authority expects to submit the final Environmental Impact Report/Statement for the project in the spring of 2021.
