The day of reckoning has arrived for the high-speed rail.
After 51-27 partisan vote in the Assembly Thursday, the decision to move forward with the $68 billion rail connecting San Francisco to Anaheim rests on the Senate Democrats, who according to the Los Angeles Times, doesn't guarantee the projects approval. This would defeat Governor Jerry Brown's proposed $8 billion plan for the first leg of the project.
One consequence of failing to pass the plan would be the rescission of $3.2 billion in federal funds for high-speed rail.
Another fallout would be the loss of funds for the electrification of Caltrain, since part of the proposed plan calls for a "blended" rail system, where the two trains would share electrified tracks.
However Caltrain's future is precisely why the high-speed rail will be approved, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Caltrain needs $705 million to electrify. Caltrain's Mountain View station has the third highest ridership numbers for the commuter rail.
Due to ridership and transit center in Mountain View, the city has been eyed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority for a possible train station.
So now, four years after voters approved the issuance of bonds for the project not only has the California High-Speed Rail Authority lost significant public approval, but it hasn't convinced key Senate Democrats.
Stay tuned for updates after the Senate vote Friday afternoon.
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