Published Sunday, November 23, 2008, by KCBS Radio AM 740

High Speed Rail Rolls Forward

By Dave Padilla

SAN FRANCISCO -- The new age of high speed rail transit is expected
to get its start in the Bay Area after voters passed a $9.95 billion
bond initiative earlier this month.

"It's done and certified now," said California High Speed Rail
Authority Board Member Ron Diridon. "It goes down from San Francisco
down to San Jose, down to Gilroy, under the Pacheco Pass in tunnels
to about Merced, and then down the Central Valley, Fresno, on down
to [Los Angeles] and Anaheim."

Earlier this month, 52 percent of California voters approved the
multibillion dollar project to fund the 700-mile system. Officials
say that the new project will create more than 450,000,000 jobs
and reduce green house gases by taking more cars off the road.

In addition, riders are assured that a high-speed train travel
between San Diego and Los Angeles will take one hour and fifteen
minutes, and just over two and a half hours from San Francisco to
Los Angeles.

Opponents of the measure say that California voters are going to be
paying a lot more than bargained for as the project continues.

Project officials say that the system will be capable of carrying
68 million passengers a year by 2020.