The California High Speed Rail Authority has determined the first line will be from Fresno to Bakersfield - or Fresno to Merced. The decision Thursday ends months of speculation about the first line, which was expected to likely connect San Jose to San Francisco. But it became a much easier decision for high-speed rail officials after several wealthy cities - including Atherton, Belmont, Menlo Park and Palo Alto - said high-speed trains would cause too much noise and visual pollution in their communities.
The High-Speed Rail Authority will choose one of the two
Central Valley lines on Dec. 2nd, and that line will receive $4.3
billion in federal funding. When completed, the 800-mile, $43
billion high-speed rail network will connect Sacramento and the Bay
Area to Southern California.