High Speed Rail Documents
Documents About High Speed Rail
Opinion piece by Richard F. Tolmach of California Rail Foundation: "Integrity Questions Endanger High-Speed Rail Project."
Peninsula Cities Consortium’s presentation at the January 21, 2010 State Senate Hearing in Palo Alto.
LAO Report on Business Plan. The following report was released by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) at the Assembly Meeting held January 11, 2010 in Sacramento. This is a preliminary analysis. A more in-depth report is due out soon. Click here to read the LAO Report.
California High Speed Rail Authority’s revised Business Plan. This is the plan released in December 2009. Click here to read the plan.
Technical Documents. Thanks to the persistence of the grassroots organization Californians Advocating Responsible Rail Design (CARRD), we have obtained technical memos relating to the design of the high speed rail project from the California High Speed Rail Authority.
Please note: The documents came with the following caveat: "These documents are the basis from which we are currently performing our 15 percent and 30 percent design engineering. These documents inform a future ’Design Manual’ that will be used by the design teams to prepare the 100 percent designs to build the California High Speed Train Project. Therefore, while these documents provide guidance to the Program Management Team and the Regional Consultant teams, they are not necessarily the final criteria and standards that the high speed train will be designed and built to. " – Dominic Spaethling of Parsons Brinckerhoff, Regional Manager for the San Francisco-San Jose segment of the high speed rail line
Draft Scoping Report for the San Jose to Merced High-Speed Rail project EIR/EIS (2.52 MB)
Memo of Understanding among cities in the Peninsula Cities Consortium – City Councils in San Mateo County and Santa Clara County may join the Peninsula Cities Consortium by approving this document
Agreement between the California High Speed Rail Authority and the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board of Caltrain regarding high speed rail
California Research Bureau’s draft report on restructuring the California High Speed Rail Authority, May 2009
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) pre-application summary for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds, July 2009
Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s San Francisco/Silicon Valley Corridor Investment Strategy, June 2009
Opinion Pieces About High Speed Rail
NOTE: In the interest of encouraging healthy debate, we plan to present a variety of opinions on this site.
Opinion piece by Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto and Menlo Park Council Member Kelly Fergusson – This editorial explains why cities are joining the Peninsula Cities Consortium
High Speed Rail Organizations
Californians Advocating Responsible Rail Design (CARRD) is grassroots, volunteer organization focused on getting information out to the public and encouraging an open and collaborative process.
Don’t Railroad Us is a group of concerned citizens dedicated to helping educate the community about the California high speed rail project.
Community Coalition on High Speed Rail is composed of community members, groups and businesses working to ensure that California high speed rail is done right.
Californians for High Speed Rail (CA4HSR) is a grassroots, statewide coalition of high speed rail supports advocating for the high speed rail project.
Blogs About High Speed Rail
The Caltrain HSR Compatibility Blog (also known as Clem’s Blog) deals with high speed rail issues. It is the work of Clem Tillier, a Peninsula resident and daily Caltrain commuter. He is an engineer with a lifelong interest in rail who has no affiliation with any rail agencies, consultants or the media.
The California High Speed Rail blog was created by Robert Cruickshank of Monterey, who describes himself a "a political activist, historian, teacher and native Californian who believes it’s time this state enters the 21st century."
The Transbay Blog is by Eric Chase. His Web site discusses Bay Area urban planning and land use issues, as well as transportation projects, including California High-Speed Rail.
Read Adina Levin’s blog about the September 12 High Speed Rail Teach-In.
Read Katy Dickinson’s blog about the September 12 High Speed Rail Teach-In.
Other Information
California High Speed Rail Authority’s Workshop on 8/6/09 - This video is a large file; viewing time is about 3 hours and 15 minutes. You will need a QuickTime viewer to see it. Morris Brown recommends it, saying, "In my opinion, it is really an excellent learning experience for those that want to really understand this project." The PowerPoint presentation from the workshop is available separately.