California High-Speed Rail Authority

California High-Speed Rail (also known as CAHSR or CHSR) is a publicly funded high-speed rail system currently being developed in California in the United States. In 1996, the California Legislature and Governor Pete Wilson established the California High-Speed Rail Authority with the task of creating a plan for the system and then presenting it to the voters of the state for approval. In 2008, voters approved the plan given in Proposition 1A, which specified a route connecting all the major population centers of the state, authorized the issuance of bonds for beginning implementation, and established other requirements. The CAHSR system is currently being implemented in phased segments. Construction began in 2015 for the first of the dedicated HSR segments, the Interim Initial Operating Segment ("Interim IOS"), in the San Joaquin Valley portion of California's Central Valley. It will run from Merced to Bakersfield and is planned to begin operations in 2030 (or slightly later). Concurrently, in the major metropolitan areas of San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles, the commuter rail systems are being upgraded for improved safety and service, and to support a "blended system" in the future, with CAHSR sharing upgraded tracks, power systems, train control systems, and stations. Proposition 1A did not specify the use of a "blended system" in the large metropolitan areas; however, cost (and other) considerations forced the Authority to adopt this approach in 2012. Extending the Interim IOS to connect to the northern and southern metropolitan segments is dependent on future funding, so it is uncertain when (or even if) the IOS will ever link to the metropolitan areas. Maximum train speeds will be about in the dedicated HSR segments and about in the blended segments. Per Proposition 1A, the nonstop trains between San Francisco and Los Angeles – which are about apart by air – must not exceed 2 hours and 40 minutes travel time. The proposed high-speed rail system would provide environmental benefits (reduced pollution and carbon emissions), traffic benefits (improved passenger travel, reduced vehicular traffic, and reduced air travel congestion), and economic benefits (especially in the Central Valley).