Central Calif. To Get First High-Speed Rail Line
SACRAMENTO (AP) ― The first segment of a $43-billion bullet train line between San Francisco and Anaheim will be built in the middle of Central Valley farmlands, far away from either urban center.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority announced Thursday that federal regulators are requiring the first $4.3 billion in stimulus funding to be spent on segments linking Fresno to either Merced, 50 miles north, or Bakersfield, 100 miles south.
The initial line won't serve the giant populations to the north and south. But trains will be able to roll at their full speed of 220 mph.
State officials originally wanted the first segment to be built between Los Angeles and Anaheim in Orange County.
The entire 800-mile train line is expected to be completed in 2020.
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