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California High-Speed Rail Sacramento San Francisco San José Fresno Los Angeles Palmdale Bakersfield Anaheim San Diego Myth: High-speed rail will be a train to nowhere. FACT: The California high-speed rail system will connect 8 of the 10 largest cities in the state. Myth: High-speed rail will be diesel-powered. FACT: High-speed rail in California will run on 100% renewable energy. It will be all electric all the time. Myth: High-speed rail will not be high-speed. FACT: In blended/shared corridors, trains will be slowed to 110 miles per hour, as required by regulations. However, in other areas speeds will top 220 miles per hour. Myth: High-speed rail is a waste of money. We can expand our roads and airports. FACT: Providing the same capacity as high-speed rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles would require: • 4,300 new highway lane miles • 115 additional airport gates • 4 new airport runways costing more than $158 billion with a 50-year maintenance cost of more than $132.8 billion. Myth: No one rides trains anymore. FACT: Other countries with high-speed rail systems service 1.6 billion passengers per year. Amtrak’s California corridors are among the busiest in the nation, with 5.7 million Californians riding trains last year. Myth: High-speed rail is a solution in search of a problem. FACT: California’s population is projected to grow to more than 50 million by 2060. $28 billion is lost each year in time and wasted fuel due to traffic congestion. Los Angeles, San Francisco and San José already rank among the top five most gridlocked cities in the nation. For more information and construction updates visit