Rail plan criticized in Acton
More details scheduled for release at April meeting
Recently revised routes proposed for the California High Speed Rail Authority’s Burbank-to-Palmdale line may have eased tensions with protesters in some Los Angeles County communities, but Acton residents are not happy.
“For our community in Acton, we still have issue with it,” Acton Town Council President Christopher Croisdale said Thursday. “It’s a little disappointing that they have not given us a full tunnel route.
Routes still have open-air and elevated railing that’s really going to impact our homes and much more.”
It was a much lighter tone, however, at the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments Thursday afternoon in Van Nuys.
Dan Richard, chairman for the California HighSpeed Rail Authority, presented the routes to the council and audience of more than 100 people.
Many of the people voiced support for the newly proposed routes but remained skeptical and asked for more details to be presented.
“This revised route is a major step in the right direction, but there is still much work to be done to address the concerns of other Valley neighborhoods,” said San Fernando Mayor Joel Fajardo.
Two of the three routes, dubbed “E1” and “E2,” would tunnel through the mountains to Palmdale, according to proposed route maps provided by the rail authority Tuesday.
The third, called the “Refined State Route 14,” would tunnel closer to Santa Clarita and emerge above ground northeast of Robinson Ranch Golf Club, according to the map.
Croisdale said every proposed route has the bullet train going through some part of Acton. The routes also have the train line above ground, he said.
“Anything other than a tunnel we will not be happy about,” Croisdale said.
A bulk of the “Refined State Route 14” is expected to go through a tunnel if approved, but parts would be above ground, according to the Authority.
A full study is expected to be released during the Authority’s meeting scheduled for April 12, agency spokeswoman Lisa Alley said on Wednesday.
Two city of Santa Clarita elected officials told The Signal Tuesday that they were glad to hear the bullet train would miss the city limits in the proposed routes.
“That’s great news for the people of Santa Clarita,” Councilman TimBen Boydston said. “None of the routes will be through the community of Santa Clarita. It was a long, hard fight.”
California voters approved the high-speed rail program in 2008 in hopes it would connect Los Angeles Union Station and Anaheim to San Francisco.
The plans, however, have been heavily criticized by politicians and residents over the years.
One of the original proposed routes called for running the train in a tunnel virtually all the way through Santa Clarita, while another would have had the train come out of a tunnel in the Sand Canyon area.
Santa Clarita Valley Assemblyman Scott Wilk, an opponent of the bullet train, introduced a bill in February to give voters in November another say to keep or terminate the bullet train.