LAWA Praises High Speed Rail Authority On Palmdale Decision.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 1999--

Officials of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) praised the unanimous decision Wednesday by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to continue to study routing the proposed train through the Antelope Valley with a stop in Palmdale, Calif.

"Although no final decision has been made by the Authority, Los Angeles World Airports is very pleased that potentially routing high-speed rail through Palmdale will undergo economic modeling and environmental analysis by the Authority's staff," said Lydia Kennard, interim executive director of LAWA. She added, "We are hopeful this study will show the Palmdale route alignment to be the most economically feasible."

Kennard said routing high-speed rail through the Antelope Valley could dramatically improve access from the City of Los Angeles to Palmdale, where LAWA is committed to developing to its maximum potential the Palmdale Regional Airport. The airport is one of four owned and operated by LAWA.

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners earlier this month passed a resolution urging the Authority to adopt the Antelope Valley alignment.

At that time, Commission President John J. Agoglia said, "High-speed rail is a critical element to generating growth at Palmdale Regional Airport. All commercial airports in Southern California must prepare themselves to meet the region's ever-increasing demand for air passenger service."

The resolution reaffirmed the Airport Commission's stated objective to develop all the facilities it owns as part of a regional solution that will accommodate future air traffic demands. In addition to Palmdale Airport, LAWA also owns and operates Los Angeles International, Ontario International, and Van Nuys (general aviation) Airports.

Agoglia said he was particularly pleased to see the cooperative effort by Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, the Los Angeles City Council, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, the city leadership from Palmdale, State Senator Pete Knight (R-Palmdale), the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and others, all of whom supported the Palmdale route.

The High Speed Rail Authority, meeting in San Francisco, had considered choosing between an alignment through the Antelope Valley and an alternative route along Interstate 5. However, the Authority decided to continue to study both options. No date was set when a decision between the two routes will be made.