Palmdale schedules free bus ride for supporters of Antelope Valley rail route
Meeting set for Jan. 12 in Los Angeles
The city of Palmdale is offering a free bus ride to persons interested in voicing their support to keep the Antelope Valley route of the proposed high-speed rail (HSR) project at the upcoming California High Speed Rail Association (CHRSA) board meeting on Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority (LACTA), located at 1 Gateway Plaza in Los Angeles.
The bus will depart from Palmdale City Hall, 38300 Sierra Highway at 7:15 a.m. sharp.
Interested persons need to reserve a seat by calling 661/267-5139, or by emailing sredifer@cityofpalmdale.org.
Antelope Valley residents may also take a Metrolink train to the meeting, as the transportation authority is located at Union Square, where the train stops. Metrolink trains leave the Palmdale Transportation Center at either 6:24 a.m. or 7:01 a.m. and are scheduled to arrive on time for the meeting. Train schedules may be found at www.metrolinktrains.com.
“A decision on alignment will probably be made at this meeting,” said Palmdale City Manager Steve Williams. “The CHSRA staff will present the outcome of the conceptual study of the Grapevine alternative and will request the board to approve the future actions at this meeting, so it is very important that the Antelope Valley is represented at this meeting to have our voices heard.”
“We had a good turnout when we spoke before the board in Bakersfield, and we need another good turnout to continue to make the case that the facts and studies show that the high-speed rail route should go through the Antelope Valley with a stop in Palmdale,” said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford. “The Antelope Valley route has ridership and potential for growth; the Grapevine route does not.”
“It is vital to the future growth and economic prosperity of our region and the state on the whole that the high-speed rail project comes through the Antelope Valley,” Ledford added.
A report conducted by HLB Decision Economics Inc. for Palmdale in 2003 titled, “Economic Risk Analysis of Construction Costs and Schedule Associated with High-Speed Rail Alignments Between Los Angeles and Bakersfield,” contained an assessment of the economic benefits to the Antelope Valley from the high-speed rail.
“At the time, the report concluded that the total long-term local benefits from the HSR system are expected to be $3.1 billion over a period of 30 years and would result in 38,603 additional jobs,” Ledford stated. “The project is also expected to attract about 17,267 households to the Antelope Valley region, according to the report.”
“There will also be additional economic benefits from the proposed High Desert Corridor (HDC) and DesertXPress high speed rail system,” Ledford continued. “The HDC’s anticipated traffic volume once constructed is approximately 140,000 vehicles per day, while the DesertXpress High-Speed from Las Vegas to Victorville is expected to carry as many as 2.4 million passengers annually, and ultimately extend from Victorville to Palmdale.”
The proposed high-speed rail route originally linked the Central Valley to Los Angeles through the Antelope Valley, with a stop in Palmdale. The CHSRA is considering bypassing the Antelope Valley and taking the route over the Grapevine and into Bakersfield.
Recently, Robert Gaines, Sr., president/CEO of Veteran’s Southwest Industries, in conjunction with Senator Carol Liu, California Black Chamber of Commerce, PV Jobs, United Jobs Creation Council (UJCC), National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC), Black Business Association (BBA), Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAACC), Regional Black Chamber of Commerce of San Fernando Valley (RBCC), Black Business Council of Nevada, Victor Valley African American Chamber of Commerce, and the Antelope Valley Black Chamber of Commerce, held a meeting to discuss formi
PALMDALE, Calif.—And the California High-Speed Rail Authority issue rages on. The city of Palmdale filed an injunction against the Authority this week to stop the use of state and federal funds to conduct the proposed Interstate 5/Grapevine study.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The city of Palmdale is seeking a federal injunction to stop the California High-Speed Rail Authority from studying the possibility of bypassing the Antelope Valley in favor of a shorter bullet train route to Bakersfield that follows Interstate 5 over the Grapevine.
PALMDALE, Calif.—Coroner’s officials today identified a 34-year-old pedestrian who was fatally struck by a Metrolink train in an apparent suicide.
Matthew Fee of Palmdale died at the crash near Sierra Highway and East Avenue O-8 about 11:10 a.m. Tuesday, Inspector Quvondo Johnson of the county fire department said.
No one was hurt on the northbound Metrolink train, number 205, and the passengers were bused to their destination of Lancaster, Sherita Coffelt of Metrolink said.
PALMDALE, Calif.—Metrolink train fatally struck a pedestrian today in Palmdale in what authorities believe was a case of suicide.
The crash happened about 11:10 a.m. near Sierra Highway and East Avenue O-8, said Inspector Quvondo Johnson of the county fire department.
The victim died at the scene. No one was hurt on the northbound Metrolink train, number 205, and the passengers were bused to their destination of Lancaster, said Sherita Coffelt of Metrolink.
