Overview

America has long under-invested in its passenger rail network, instead relying on cars and airplanes for trips between cities. And it comes at a steep cost for our health and quality of life. Commuters in California’s biggest cities spend an additional 60-70 hours behind the wheel each year due to traffic congestion. What’s more, forty-one percent of California’s global warming pollution comes from cars. Even as we develop cleaner fuels, current projections for growing car and airline travel will make it difficult to meet our state’s commitments to reducing global warming pollution.

High-speed rail will allow Californians to travel from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in two and a half hours, without the hassle of the airport. High speed rail is predicted to take up to 92 million car trips off the road annually and attract 18 million travelers who would otherwise fly. In doing so, high speed rail would eliminate the need for construction of 2,970 additional highway miles and 91 airport gates.

In November 2008, California voters approved $9.95 billion dollars in bonds to start laying the tracks.

Before we spend bond funds on construction, Congress and private companies will have to match California’s commitment to the train. We need that to happen quickly because this project cannot be delayed any longer. We saw gas prices hover well above $4 a gallon in California all summer. California has three of the top five most congested regions in the country, costing commuters billions in time and money. Continued oil dependence puts our environment, our economy, and national security at risk. And we know that we need to take dramatic steps now in order to prevent the most devastating impacts of global warming. For all of these reasons, Californians urgently need the high-speed train up and running.

CALPIRG is watchdogging the train's development to ensure the commitments of Prop 1A are met, taxpayer dollars are well spent and that the public is protected in the process of rolling out this project and enlisting contractors. We are dedicated to pushing Congress to further invest in our future with ongoing funding for high-speed rail. We will see this project through and put California on the right track.