What to Expect When You’re Expecting Passenger Rail: How Central Valley Communities Are Preparing for High-Speed Rail

Details

• Creators:
  Hazelton-Boyle, Josephine K. ; Bick, Naomi
• Corporate Creators:
  San Jose State University. College of Business. Mineta Transportation Institute
• Corporate Contributors:
  State of California SB1 2017/2018, Trustees of the California State University Sponsored Programs Administration ; United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program ; United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  High Speed Rail Intercity Transportation Metropolitan Areas Mobility Passenger Trains Planning Political Science Rail Transit Social Sciences Sustainable Transportation
• Publication/ Report Number:
  26-11 ; CA-MTI-2538
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.31979/mti.2026.253
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; California
• Corporate Publisher:
  San Jose State University. College of Business. Mineta Transportation Institute
• Abstract:
  Approved by California voters in 2008, the California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR) project is a planned 800-mile rail corridor across California aimed at delivering intercity passenger rail service to the state’s largest metropolitan areas. This was the first voter-approved high-speed rail project in the United States and remains one of its most contentious. The first phase of the project’s construction is currently underway in California’s Central Valley, including many communities that initially opposed CAHSR. While supporters champion increased connectivity and the provision of environmentally sustainable transportation alternatives, critics contend the project’s benefits will not outweigh its environmental costs and economic disruptions. This study examines how California’s Central Valley cities and communities are preparing for and adapting to CAHSR construction and implementation through a content analysis of publicly available planning and policy documents with qualitative interviews with 17 local government administrators and other key officials. The findings reveal how Central Valley cities are planning for high-speed rail while also navigating conflicting economic, environmental, and community priorities to generate public support for the project. Implications for future implementation of passenger rail in car-centric locations with significant political and social opposition are discussed to offer further useful insights to support American mobility.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  SB1-SJAUX_2023-26
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:63d60232bad735a1dafb1d275c5c055f3eac8274b0b7928a36aedc23f8c6abb98b9d7442d1c92767d8849a2b43b0548a93871ce3d773c900e86fb97b7b7ef23f
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/92526/dot_92526_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.13 MB ]