HSR Authority Likes City-Drawn Rail Route

Kern County residents have taken their first look at a revised bullet train route through Bakersfield that would spare some 400 structures by paralleling Union Pacific tracks.

California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Jeff Morales says he likes the new alignment, which was unveiled during an open house Tuesday at the Marriott downtown.

“We’ve worked very closely with the city – they proposed this to us,” he said. “We’ve worked with them to look at it and make revisions to it, and we think it has a lot of promise.”

Yhe consideration of the route comes after a lawsuit was settled between the city and the authority.

Morales says a year-long environmental review will begin after a second open house in Shafter, which is scheduled for next month.

– Anthony Pollreisz