EDITORIAL : DON'T SPEED BY PALMDALE.

TODAY the California High-Speed Rail Authority is expected to consider the potential route for the state's first rail line, capable of accommodating trains that travel more than 300 mph.

Ultimately, the line will run between San Diego and San Francisco, but along the way the trains will travel to Los Angeles International Airport, downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.

The big question for the commission to decide is: Should the route include a stop in the Antelope Valley.

The answer is, unquestionably, yes.

Although building in an Antelope Valley stop will add up to nine minutes to the nearly 3-hour trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco, it would be foolish to avoid the fastest-growing region in Los Angeles County to save a fraction of the time.

Commissioners and their staffers are hesitant because the stop will add between $237 million and $798 million to the cost of the rail line. With an Antelope Valley stop, the project will cost an estimated $4.85 billion; without it, the line could cost as much as $4.6 billion. The total could rise if there are difficulties tunneling though the mountains to avoid the Garlock Fault; the Antelope Valley stop would avoid tunneling.

We urge the commission to include a stop near the Palmdale Airport.

The stop is important for at least three reasons: It will enable Antelope Valley residents to travel to LAX without getting in their cars; it will prove necessary if the Los Angeles Department of Airports decides to build an international airport in Palmdale; and it has the potential to add as much as $500 million to the Antelope Valley economy.

Smart planning requires vision, and we hope the commission sees a need for the Palmdale stop.