Loretta Sanchez Peeved That CA's High Speed Rail Project Skips Anaheim in First Phase


Orange County Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Anaheim) today declared her frustration at a recent California High Speed Rail Authority decision to exclude Anaheim as a stop in the initial phase of the $68 billion project.

“Failure to link the high speed rail system to Orange County negatively impacts the county's residents and our local economy, and is a disappointment for the state of California,” Sanchez said in a press statement. “To develop our state for the twenty first century, we must embrace a transportation system that allows our commerce to run.”
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Authority officials claim that it doesn't make financial sense to
include OC in the first phrase of the massive project because the LA to
OC link is projected to cost at least $6 billion and would only shave
about 10 minutes off the current rail commute between the cities.

When completed sometime after 2033 the project will connect San Francisco to San Diego, according to Authority plans.

But
Sanchez isn't willing to wait years for OC's inclusion. She is asking
officials to “honor” the original plan that included a stop in Anaheim, home to the state's world famous amusement park–Disneyland.

Yet,
Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson, a Republican who represents
Anaheim, told reporters that Authority officials made the right
decision.

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