PUBLIC COMMENT SOLICITED ABOUT HIGH-SPEED RAIL.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO

Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- A meeting will be held next week to gather public input on a proposed high-speed rail system that would run through the Antelope Valley.

The meeting is part of the environmental review process for the segment between Palmdale and Los Angeles and will provide residents with an opportunity to learn about the project, ask questions and provide feedback.

"The scoping meeting gives the public an opportunity to talk to the lead agency and consultants who are doing the work to provide input on what they think ought to be covered in the environmental documents," said Dan Leavitt, deputy director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

The proposed alignment for the Los Angeles-to-Palmdale segment would use existing rail lines along San Fernando Road through Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank and San Fernando before continuing through Santa Clarita and into Palmdale.

Meetings will be held in cities along the corridor. The Palmdale meeting will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. April 12 at Palmdale City Hall, 38300 Sierra Highway.

Other meetings are set for Glendale, Los Angeles and Sylmar.

Written comments regarding the project will be accepted until April 27 and can be sent to Leavitt, California High-Speed Rail Authority, Los Angeles -- Palmdale Segment, 925 L St., Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814.

"We are hopeful the public will come to these," Leavitt said. "We are excited about this work. We believe this project is essential for California's transportation future."

A $9.95 billion high-speed rail bond measure is set for the November 2008 ballot. The measure has twice been pulled from previous ballots.

The proposal would generate about half the funding needed to build a rail line linking Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno and San Francisco with trains running at top speeds of more than 200mph.

The proposed alignment would follow Highway 58 from Bakersfield to Mojave, then run south along the Union Pacific railroad tracks through Lancaster, Palmdale and Soledad Canyon. Plans call for the system to be expanded so it also eventually reaches San Diego and Sacramento.

Rail authority officials said the system could carry more than 100 million passengers annually by 2030 and reduce traffic by removing more than 50 million auto trips per year.

At-grade railroad street crossings would be separated from vehicle traffic, and as many as 450,000 jobs would be created under the full project.

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