CHSRA to release draft environmental report for Bakersfield-Palmdale segment

Rail News Home High-Speed Rail 2/26/2020 Rail News: High-Speed Rail
The Bakersfield-to-Palmdale high-speed rail route will connect riders from the Central Valley to the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles County.Photo – CHSRA

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Friday will release a draft environmental impact report and statement (EIR/EIS) for an 80-mile segment of the state's high-speed rail project between Bakersfield and Palmdale.

CHSRA will host four public meetings in March and April to gather public comment on the document. The agency will also accept comments online and by email and mail between Feb. 28 and April 13

The agency will review and respond to environmental issues raised during the comment period, then prepare and issue a final EIR/EIS document by 2021, CHSRA officials said in a press release. 

The Bakersfield-to-Palmdale high-speed rail route will connect riders from the Central Valley to the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles County, running through or near Bakersfield, Edison, Tehachapi, Rosamond, Lancaster and Palmdale. 

CHSRA remains on track to complete environmental clearance for the full Phase 1 system between San Francisco and Los Angeles/Anaheim by the federally mandated 2022 deadline, authority officials said.