CALIFORNIA’S AMBITIOUS US$310BN RAIL PLAN
The US State of California – the country’s most populated with around 40 million residents – has unveiled a US$310 billion plan to develop and construct a connected mass transit rail system over the next 25 years.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the project – dubbed the State Rail Plan – on 7 January.
IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK
The high-speed electrified network would stretch across an area more than 500 miles (nearly 900km) long from north to south with multiple lines running east and west into major metros like San Francisco, San Jose and Las Vegas, in the neighbouring State of Nevada.
The network is said to include intercity, regional, and local transit systems, with a stated goal of making train travel “a more attractive option compared to car or air travel.”
The scheme seeks to increase mobility by creating what state government called “a world-class, fully integrated, zero-emission rail network that connects seamlessly with other transportation modes.”