SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Governor Gavin Newsom announced the California State Rail Plan that intends to connect all corners of the state by rail with a zero-emissions network.
The backbone of the plan is the California High-Speed Rail project that will connect San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco by way of 200-mph trains.
Governor Newsom was in Kern County this week to break ground on the railhead for CAHSR, the first step to laying down tracks.
The plan details the near, middle, and long-term plans to fully build out a statewide transit system that will eventually give all Californians access to high-quality, environmentally friendly transportation options.
“California is building a clean transportation system for the future,” Governor Newsom said in a statement. “Our vision is simple: by 2050, every Californian should be able to choose rail as a way to get to their destination, near or far.”
The governor noted that, as the world’s fifth-largest economy, California is ready to take on this challenge.
Currently only 2% of all miles traveled in California are by passenger rail or transit, but the State Rail Plan intends to increase that to more than 20%, the equivalent of 200 million daily passenger miles.
“Critically, this plan pushed beyond the status quo, improving multimodal options, clean air, and equitable access to jobs and other opportunities,” Toks Omishakin, California’s Transportation Secretary, said.
One high-speed rail train, according to the Plan, is equivalent to 612 passenger cars on the road.
It will cost more than $300 billion over the next 25 years, but the estimated return on that investment is more than $540 billion, according to the plan, and the projects therein are expected to create 900,000 full-time jobs in construction, maintenance, and operations.
And there are some important upgrades to transit in and around San Diego County that are parts of the plan as well, including:
Efforts to stabilize and eventually relocate the tracks on the Del Mar Bluff. SANDAG is in the process of short-term stabilization to continue service while planning for the long-term relocation of the tracks inland off the bluffs.
The re-alignment of the LOSSAN corridor tracks in San Clemente to move them off the coast away from eroding beaches. The Orange County Transit Authority is studying short and long-term plans to shore up this section of the vital corridor.
High-speed rail connecting the LA area to Las Vegas via Brightline West, a privately built and operated high-speed rail line that will begin service as soon as 2028. Trips between Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga in the Inland Empire will take just 2 hours and 10 minutes – twice as fast as driving, according to the company.
Hourly, all-day service on the Pacific Surfliner between San Diego and Los Angeles. The State Rail Plan notes that post-covid, transportation patterns have shifted to require less focus on peak-hour commutes. Instead, the rail offers all-day, consistent service to attract and retain riders. The plan envisions 30-minute headways on the Pacific Surfliner by the year 2050.
High-speed rail connecting San Diego to Los Angeles and beyond is part of CAHSR’s Phase 2, expected to be completed by 2050. One of the final legs of the High-Speed Rail system will connect San Diego to LA’s Union Station via Escondido, Murrieta, and San Bernardino.
An airport trolley connection, which has been discussed for quite some time in San Diego, is on the map in the State Rail Plan. Updates on that process from SANDAG are available here.
Plans to connect the Trolley system in San Diego to Tijuana and its airport have been in the mix for years and are part of the area’s plan for 2050. A cross-border trolley would be the first in the nation, according to SANDAG.
Shorter headways on the Sprinter, Coaster, and Metrolink connecting Oceanside to Orange County are all part of the future plans, and trains will arrive every 15 minutes on the Sprinter between Oceanside and Escondido and every 30 minutes on the Coaster and Metrolink.
SANDAG’s Purple Line for San Diego is also in the State Rail Plan for 2050
You can read more about the short- and long-term plans for the state rail network here, including the 70-page plan in detail.
