Proposed 8 km tunnel to avoid San Clemente seashore on Los Angeles-San Diego high speed rail project to be assessed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority board on 14th November, 2001. Route would run from north of the pier at Avenida Pico following the freeway before reconnecting with existing coastal tracks around San Onofre. Visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov 43/01. The California High-Speed Rail Authority is to commence a $700 million EIS to determine the best route alignment for the 1,100 km-long high speed link between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The railway will have to comply with antiseismic standards and to cross two mountain massifs, requiring a 50 km tunnel. Cost of $25 billion. Visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov 02/02.The California High-Speed Rail Authority and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a draft environmental impact report and environmental impact statement (EIR/EIS) for the planned 1,130 km high speed line from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Public hearings on the draft environmental report will be scheduled throughout the state beginning in mid-February. Tunnel segments of the alignment are proposed through the mountain passes in Diablo mountain range/Pacheco Pass between south San Jose and the Merced, and the Tehachapi mountains between Bakersfield and Sylmar. Visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov 08/04.A study by Geodata of Italy shows that routing the proposed high speed train through the Antelope Valley would be safer from earthquake hazards and far better serve southern California's transportation needs than the alternative Grapevine route also being considered by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA). The Antelope Valley route is cheaper, faster to construct and safer to build than the Grapevine option which poses greater earthquake hazard and would cost more.The CHSRA has proposed a high speed train from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in about 2.5 hours. The project would cost an estimated USD35 billion and be the most expensive public works project in US history. Present plans call for Bakersfield to be the last Central Valley station before southern California. The train then would either follow a route through the Antelope Valley, with stops in Palmdale and Sylmar, or down the Grapevine route along the I-5 Freeway and stop in Sylmar before proceeding to Union Station downtown. The Palmdale to Union Station trip would take about 26 minutes. Visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov and www.geodata.it. More in E-News Weekly 17/2004. 17/04.A joint venture involving URS Corp., Hatch Mott MacDonald and Arup won two contracts for engineering and environmental work for California's proposed high speed rail system. The joint venture will do preliminary engineering and environmental analysis for a proposed 310 km segment between Fresno and Palmdale. This six-year contract could be worth USD41 million to URS. The joint venture will do similar work for a proposed 98 km rail line from Los Angeles to Palmdale, which could be worth USD21 million to URS. Read E-News Weekly 16/2007. Visit www.urscorp.com, www.hatchmott.com, www.arup.com, www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov 18/07.