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The Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Final EIR/EIS


LOS ANGELES, Calif. –The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) has released the project-level Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/EIS) for an additional project section in Southern California. The document covers the approximately 31-to 38-mile-long Palmdale to Burbank Project Section, connecting the Antelope Valley to the San Fernando Valley. With the release of this Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Final EIR/EIS, the Authority begins the final step for completing environmental clearance for the full Phase 1 California High-Speed Rail System, connecting downtown San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles.


The Palmdale to Burbank Project Section will connect two key population centers in Los Angeles County by linking future multimodal transportation hubs in Palmdale and Burbank at speeds that would support a 13-minute nonstop travel time. The section will also provide a critical link between the Bakersfield to Palmdale and the Burbank to Los Angeles project sections, crossing some of the most complex mountainous terrain along the statewide system.


The Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Final EIR/EIS and associated documents will be available to the public on May 24, 2024. The Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Final EIR/EIS is available online in PDF at the Authority’s website (www.hsr.ca.gov). You can request an electronic copy by calling (800) 630-1039.The documents may also be viewed at the Authority's Sacramento and Los Angeles offices and at local libraries in Los Angeles County, near the project section. For questions regarding the documents or accessing copies, please call (213) 457-8420 or email palmdale_burbank@hsr.ca.gov.

The Final EIR/EIS includes analysis of all six build alternatives and the No Project Alternative. The preferred alternative runs along SR14A and is approximately 38 miles. It will partially use the existing Metrolink right-of-way to the extent possible for approximately three miles in the San Fernando Valley. The preferred alternative includes four tunnels that total approximately 28 miles, with one approximately 13 miles long and another approximately 12 miles long. Trains operating on the SR14A alignment would be underground through the community of Acton, the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. SR14A is also underground where it crosses the Pacific Crest Trail, avoiding impacts to the trail.

Map showing Palmdale to Burbank proposed alignments

The Final EIR/EIS includes the Authority’s responses to comments received during the public comment period for the Draft EIR/EIS. The document assesses the Palmdale to Burbank Project Section’s potential impacts on CEQA or NEPA environmental resource areas, including traffic, air quality, noise, biological and aquatic resources, and more. The Final EIR/EIS details the impacts and benefits of six Build Alternatives, including Refined SR14, SR14A, E1, E1A, E2, and E2A. The Preferred Alternative is the SR14A Alternative, which is an approximately 38-mile alignment that crosses the Angeles National Forest and connects Palmdale and Burbank.

The Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Preferred Alternative (the SR14A Alternative) and the Final EIR/EIS for the section are anticipated to be presented to the Authority Board of Directors for consideration of CEQA certification and project approval on June 26th and June 27th. Final dates for the Board meeting will be confirmed in mid-June at https://hsr.ca.gov/about/board-of-directors/schedule/.

AUTHORITY BOARD MEETING is anticipated on Wednesday, June 26, 10:00 a.m.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s board meeting will be conducted in-person and via webinar. Board Members will participate in the meeting. Members of the public can view the board meeting either in person or online at https://hsr.ca.gov/.

Please check the Authority website or call (800) 630-1039 for more information.

The Authority is issuing this document as lead agency under CEQA and NEPA pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) effective as of July 23, 2019. The MOU is between the State of California and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under a program commonly known as NEPA assignment (in the MOU, the FRA assigned its NEPA responsibilities for the project to the State of California).


To view the contents of the Final EIR/EIS, please visit our website starting May 24, 2024: www.hsr.ca.gov

You can find this news release online here.

Una versión en español del comunicado de prensa está disponible en línea aquí.

Tenga en cuenta esta traducción fue hecha automáticamente por servicios de tecnología y puede tener errores o faltar de sentidos culturales.

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