Senator Boxer: High Speed Rail Funding Could Create 130,000 Jobs in California

October 2, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) announced her support for California’s bid for more than $4.7 billion in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to advance the engineering, design and construction of high-speed rail throughout the state.

Senator Boxer said, “I am pleased to support the request that the California High-Speed Rail Authority is making today. California voters have already committed nearly $10 billion in state bonds for this effort. This investment of federal high-speed rail funds could help us create more than 130,000 jobs in California, reduce air pollution and congestion on our roads, and accelerate our push for a cleaner and more efficient transportation system.”

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The economic recovery package, passed by Congress last February and supported by Senator Boxer, allocated $8 billion to advance high-speed rail nationwide.

California’s high-speed rail system is the most advanced in the country, and just last year, voters approved $9.95 billion in bond funding.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s application includes requests for $2.19 billion for the Los Angeles to Anaheim segment; $980 million for San Francisco to San Jose; $466 million for Merced to Fresno; $819.5 million for Fresno to Bakersfield; and $276.5 million for preliminary engineering on all system segments.

Federal funding to California will be matched with state, local or private funding, doubling the investment.

Source: Senator Barbara Boxer