Recently an op-ed ran in the San Fernando Valley Business Journal questioning the need for the high-speed rail system (“Speeding Towards Disaster,” July 8), and laying out a number of statements that were erroneous with regard to its development. Let’s be clear: The California High-Speed Rail project will connect California’s urban centers using 800 miles of rail that will completely revolutionize travel in this state. This system will tie together intercity rail lines, including Metrolink and Caltrain, creating a completely integrated statewide passenger rail system. The system will also help close the passenger rail gap that currently exists between Bakersfield and Palmdale. The fact that we cannot travel between Northern and Southern California via the San Joaquin Valley in this day and age is senseless. The development of high-speed rail will eliminate this transportation hurdle, creating opportunity for better access and improved mobility. Now, it’s true that planning, designing and building a project of this magnitude in California brings with it a number of challenges. From finding hundreds of miles of railway that minimally impacts people, to ensuring we can finance the project, constructing this magnitude of high-tech, statewide infrastructure is no easy task. That said, not only is the high-speed rail project a good idea in general, but for those of us in the Antelope Valley it’s absolutely critical. We need better access in and out of the valley to promote improved economic development and smart growth as our communities expand. But mobility is just a part of the discussion for us. I can say unequivocally that we need all aspects of high-speed rail. Looking to the future, Palmdale is positioned to become the central point of the system, connecting north and south in what we are envisioning as the most sophisticated and efficient transit station in the state – what we’re calling the Palmdale Transit Village. The village will be the convergence of several transportation ports, including the Palmdale Transit Center, the High-Desert Corridor, the Palmdale Airport, and yes, the Palmdale High-Speed Rail Station. The Palmdale Transit Village will provide multimodal connectivity, live/work developments and access to all parts of the state utilizing efficient transportation systems, including Metrolink trains, Antelope Valley Transit Authority buses, high-speed trains and airline service. The Palmdale Transit Village will also feed our local economy. The high-speed rail station alone will be an economic driver, creating jobs at nearly every skill level. Station personnel, retail workers and maintenance workers – these are jobs with diverse training requirements that can feed our economy and serve many levels within our work force. The station will also create a center for retail business, where sales tax, developer fees and property tax will contribute to city coffers, helping to fund programs for seniors, families and business owners. But what next? How do we bring this vision to reality? In order to optimize our planning and secure our development zones, we recently received a Transit Oriented Development grant from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Thanks to support from Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, and hard work from our city staff, Metro is providing this $400,000 grant to our community to update the Palmdale Transit Village Specific Plan, General Plan and Zoning Ordinance. This grant will ensure that our land use and transportation plans translate the vision to reality. This grant was a critical contribution toward moving us to our next step in planning. Now we can progress our vision and create timelines and finance plans that will allow us to seek the necessary funding that will drive this project to completion. California is working to create the first true high-speed rail system in the country. Its development will create mega regions that will need passenger distribution stations in centralized locations. Working together, the city of Palmdale, business groups and local elected officials are moving forward with a plan to make Palmdale a hub of passenger activity in California – ultimately creating the first true interstate multimodal station in the country. As mayor, I work with Palmdale residents and businesses to define our identity as a city – to drive home the distinct character that attracts healthy families, hard-working men and women and our tranquil retired residents to call our community “home.” As part of this effort, we must always look forward, envisioning our next steps to plan and refine our community to best serve our residents. By promoting a statewide high-speed rail system, we are in effect promoting a Palmdale that will maintain a future that enjoys strong business, resident-focused community services and efficient transportation. James Ledford is the mayor of Palmdale.
Full Throttle on High Speed Rail
