Among the reasons the FRA and the CHSRA agreed to begin high-speed rail construction in the Central Valley includes this very prominent one; there would be far less objection to any HSR decisions about routes and alignments, since there are far fewer people there than in the two population centers. After all, it's not an urban environment; it's farm country. It's a place where the rail authority can get away with "quick and dirty."
You have to understand that when the rail authority runs its intended rail corridor through farm land, the actual amount of land taken, most likely by eminent domain, is minimal. That is, it may be a 100 foot wide swath of the entire property. But, that's the least of it.
Such a rail corridor will be a highly divisive barrier between the now two sides of this acreage. It's taking one farm and making it two separate ones. It will be impossible to get from one side to the other with farm equipment (unless there is a wide and high enough below-grade tunnel under the tracks). This rail corridor is one that must be fully fenced and inaccessible, nothing like the more conventional freight rail corridors crossed by roads.
This fully enclosed rail corridor barrier will make irrigation and working the land far more challenging. All of which is to say, it will raise the costs of working this property immensely. It will create all sorts of other legal and financial problems.
How many actual farms will be so affected is now hard to say; but we'll find out soon enough. You know of course that agriculture is a major cash cow for the state of California. But, who cares! Right, Mr. Van Ark?
So, will these farmers and the entire agricultural communities and related industries in the Central Valley be happy to have this happen? I don't think so. It's a safe bet that there will be lawsuits. The anger is already on display.
There are many mistakes being made to start construction in the Central Valley in such reckless fashion. It turns out that high-speed rail, wherever it intend to go,will be profoundly harmful. It is already harmful merely by the threat of its intentions.
The HSR advocates, like the railroad geeks, don't care of course. Also, the industrial giant construction and manufacturing companies who are encouraging and will benefit from this vast boondoggle don't care.
To get a better picture of the misery aimed at the Central Valley, you should read the other articles by clicking on the URL and reading the articles listed under "Similar stories."
Remember, it's not about the train; it's about the money. Stop it now!
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residents slam high-speed rail route
Posted at 10:13 PM on Wednesday, May. 18, 2011
By Lewis Griswold / The Fresno Bee
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HANFORD -- Farmers and rural residents turned out in force Wednesday to state their opposition to the planned California high-speed rail project east of Hanford.
They got their message across, but expressed frustration that the information session for the public did not allow the public to speak out.
"It's like talking to a brick wall," said almond farmer Helen Sullivan, whose orchard could be cut in half by tracks. Sullivan was told that her complaints should be made through the environmental impact report process starting in July.
The session at Kit Carson School in rural Hanford was set up for people to get facts and ask questions of staff individually, said James Ambercrombie, area program manager, as part of the environmental impact report process.
He promised the crowd of about 200 that the staff would return to hold "an open mike" session, probably in early June.
"It's a very nerve-wracking situation," said dairy farmer Steve Gaspar, pointing to a map showing a track alignment though his family's dairy.
Others say the rail project's 100-foot width will wipe out too much productive farmland.
Opponents circulated a petition urging officials to rethink the proposed alignment in Kings County.
Much of the Kings County route is outside of an existing transportation corridor, unlike most of the project in the rest of the state. But Ambercrombie said the route from Fresno to Bakersfield via the outskirts of Hanford had been decided on in 2005.
It's unlikely that it would be moved to the Union Pacific-Highway 99 corridor near Visalia as some have suggested, he said.
In July, the draft environmental impact report will be released, and the public will have 45 days to make comments, he said. Those comments for and against the proposed route will be considered then, with the final route choice to be made by the High Speed Rail Authority board of directors.
The $43 billion system would connect Los Angeles to San Francisco via the San Joaquin Valley. Trains would travel at 220 mph and a trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco could take 2 hours and 40 minutes.
THE REPORTER CAN BE REACHED AT LGRISWOLD@FRESNOBEE.COM OR (559) 622-2416.
