California High-Speed Rail Authority’s Board of Directors is set to adopt a revised business plan which aims to open the line north of the Central Valley by 2025.
The new business plan, which was announced in February, advocates first constructing the line from Bakersfield in Southern California’s San Joaquin Valley to San Jose in Northern California, what it calls the Silicon Valley to Central Line.
The original plan had been to start the line from the Central Valley and head south towards Los Angeles. The updated business plan now aims to construct the line north to San Jose by 2025 instead. The full Phase 1 route between San Francisco and Los Angeles would then be completed in 2029.
Extending the first stage of the line to San Francisco and Bakersfield will cost an extra $2.9 billion, according to the 2016 business plan. However, it also estimates that the total cost of the project will be cheaper than originally predicted, from $67.6 billion to $64.2 billion.
On April 21, a set of further “staff recommended changes” were announced, extending the public consultation period until April 25. The California High-Speed Rail Authority is required by law to submit its final business plan to the California State Legislature by May 1.
