$2.5 billion in stimulus money to build a San Joaquin Valley high speed train has been spent, yet the train is still almost a decade from being ready to carry passengers across its entire run.
Trouble acquiring land, environmental analysis, and other snags have slowed progress on high-speed rail meant to pass through the San Joaquin Valley. "All of the stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has indeed been spent and construction is happening in earnest in Fresno and Madera counties, much of the Valley route in Kings, Tulare and Kern counties – considered the 'backbone' of a system to eventually link San Francisco and Los Angeles – remains on the drawing board," Tim Sheehan reports for the Fresno Bee.
This slowdown has translated into what officials predict will be a three-year delay. "A starting date for passenger service that was once forecast for 2022 with trains running between Merced and Los Angeles has now been bumped to 2025," Sheehan writes.
FULL STORY: High-speed rail in the Valley was once supposed to be done by Saturday. Not even close
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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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research