Council Leads High Speed Rail Discussion Ahead of Business Plan Release

Council President Jim Wunderman convened a  powerful gathering of high speed rail supporters this week to discuss our  progress in building regional consensus around a “blended system” for both  electrifying Caltrain and providing the infrastructure necessary to run high  speed trains between San Francisco and San Jose. Officials from Caltrain and  the San Francisco County Transportation Authority provided an in-depth look at  the great strides being made by both agencies in analyzing and planning for the  implementation of the blended system.

California High Speed Rail Authority  Commissioners Dan Richard and Jim Hartnett also gave some hints about what to  expect from the Authority’s revised business plan, due out on November 1.  Richard told the group that the business plan will take an aggressive, but  realistic approach to funding and that previous ridership projections have been  revised to include low, medium and high ridership scenarios. Jeff Heller of  Heller Manus Architects delivered a compelling slideshow on China’s high speed  rail system. Thanks to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP for hosting the event.