Fresno to Bakersfield
The Fresno to Bakersfield project section is part of the first phase of the California high-speed rail system connecting the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield to the rest of the state.
The approximately 114-mile project section will provide essential connections between the Central Valley, the Silicon Valley and the Los Angeles Basin with stations in downtown Fresno and downtown Bakersfield. These station locations will help provide new economic opportunities in these downtown areas and provide easy connections to local and regional businesses and academic institutions.
Section Details
In May 2014, the Board of Directors certified a Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/EIS) for the Fresno to Bakersfield project section. The document identified a preferred alignment from the Fresno high-speed rail station to the Bakersfield high-speed rail station located at Truxtun Avenue.
In June 2014, the City of Bakersfield filed a lawsuit challenging the approval under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). As a result, the Authority and the City continued meeting in an effort to resolve the issues addressed by the litigation. In December 2014, the Authority and the City announced that they would study an alternative alignment, known as the Locally Generated Alternative, that includes a high-speed rail station at F Street and that the City of Fresno agreed to dismiss its CEQA lawsuit. To learn more, visit the Locally Generated Alternative page.
Pre-construction activities got under way in the first construction project area in 2013, with the high-speed rail program's official groundbreaking taking place at the site of the future Fresno station on January 5, 2016. Construction of the nation's first high-speed rail system is underway with multiple active sites. To see the latest on construction, visit BuildHSR.
The Authority is committed to planning and building a premier high-speed rail system that will keep the traveling public and surrounding communities moving and safe. We are working to develop and deliver the program through effective engagements with local communities, a process that involves nourishing long-term relationships with residents, stakeholders and policymakers. The goal is to foster and encourage community engagement throughout the organization in all aspect of construction and operations.
In conducting outreach events, such as Open House and Community Working Group meetings, the Authority informs the public about all aspects of the program, including the presentation of specific project section plans and key milestones contributing to the first phase of the high-speed rail system.
For a listing of upcoming events and outreach opportunities in your area visit the Events page.
The State of California and the federal government both require a proposed infrastructure project to undergo an extensive assessment of the project's potential impacts on the environment - land, air, water, minerals, plants, animals and noise - and proposed actions to avoid or mitigate those impacts, if feasible.
Decisions regarding how and where to build the California high-speed rail system are made and justified by using detailed environmental studies and public comments on the potential environmental impacts of the proposed rail system and routes.
The materials listed under the Documents & Reports section below include studies and reports the Authority has produced to date, along with corresponding public comments received, during the environmental review process of the Fresno to Bakersfield project section.
The following documents are available for review upon request. Please contact records@hsr.ca.gov.
- Fresno to Bakersfield Project Section: Final EIR/EIS
- Fresno to Bakersfield Project Section: Revised Draft EIR/EIS
- Fresno to Bakersfield Project Section: Draft EIR/EIS
- Fresno to Bakersfield Project Section Supplemental Alternatives Analysis
- Fresno to Bakersfield Project Section Preliminary Alternatives Analysis
- Fresno to Bakersfield Project Section Scoping
- Fresno to Bakersfield Project Section Notice of Intent/Notice of Preparation
If you are interested in inviting the Authority to your community meeting to receive a project update, the team would be happy to coordinate with you.
(559) 445-5157
central.valley@hsr.ca.gov
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Interactive Maps
- Project Sections & Stations of the Project Sections & Stations interactive map
- Construction Activities of the Construction Activities interactive map
- Economic Impacts of the Economic Impacts interactive map
- California Traditional Tribal Territories of the California Traditional Tribal Territories interactive map
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