On Wednesday, the state High Speed Rail Authority unanimously agreed to include a Visalia-area station in future route planning, reversing an earlier decision to bypass the region.
Nothing is guaranteed, and the long-discussed $40 billion rail still faces multiple hurdles, including funding. But South Valley leaders are pleased that they are now at least at the table.
"This stop is very critical to our region," Tulare City Council Member Richard Ortega told the authority at its monthly meeting. "We need to be connected to the entire California economy."
The high-speed rail would cut through the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, connecting the Bay Area to Southern California.
The original route plan approved in 2005 included stops in Fresno and Bakersfield, but nothing in between. At the time, the authority directed further study into a South Valley stop. A subsequent report identified eight different route alternatives with five potential station sites: one east of Hanford, one north of Tulare and three near Visalia.
On Wednesday, the authority agreed to include those options in future environmental planning. But the debate over specifics foreshadowed the challenges that lie ahead.
Authority board member Rod Diridon, a former Santa Clara County supervisor, argued that the station should be in the middle of a city, possibly Hanford.
"Our policy is to have these stations in downtowns," he said. "We do not want urban sprawl, and the best way to avoid urban sprawl is to locate stations in downtown areas."
Valley leaders prefer a more rural site between Visalia and Hanford along Highway 198. They argued that urban routes would cut through already developed property. There are also concerns that the rail would cut across east-west streets, forcing cars to wait for the trains to pass.
"You'll never get to the other side of town," Kingsburg Mayor Leland Bergstrom said in an interview. Bergstrom was one of several Valley representatives who testified before the authority Wednesday.
Funding for the rail system mostly depends on passage of a $9.9 billion bond measure scheduled for November's state ballot.
Rail bond ballot measures have been delayed twice, in 2004 and 2006. So far this year, no lawmaker has called for another delay. But with the state in the midst of a budget crisis, nothing has been ruled out.
Gov. Schwarzenegger, who once called for a delay, is pushing for legislation that would tie state spending to guarantees of support from the federal government and private investors. A bill has not yet been introduced.
The reporter can be reached at eschultz@fresnobee.com or (916) 326-5541.
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