California wants to create the first high speed train system in the country and it wants the federal government to help pay for it.
California is applying for a nearly $5 billion grant that would help cover the cost of building and operating the 800-mile system. Lori Pfeiler, the chair of the San Diego Association of Governments, was in Los Angeles with the Governor to announce the grant submission. She said high speed rail is the right move for California.
“Our highways are congested, our air travel is congested and so is the current existing rail. If we’re going to be competitive in this state we need to have the next generation of transportation system which would be high speed rail,” she said.
Pfeiler said $42 million of the federal grant would cover design and environmental review of the proposed route between San Diego and LA. Last year California voters approved a measure that provides $10 billion for building a high speed rail system in the state.
