Few projects have the potential to shape Merced for generations like California’s High-Speed Rail.
The City of Merced has long supported the vision of High-Speed Rail stopping at a station in our downtown. We recognized its potential to improve regional connectivity, strengthen our economy, create jobs, attract investment, and position downtown Merced as a transportation hub for California’s Central Valley.
However, it is now apparent that the High-Speed Rail Authority is preparing to connect to Merced through a station location on land just outside the southeastern city limits near Mission Avenue and Highway 99. We believe, in good faith, that this preliminary decision by the Authority is driven by cost constraints and a genuine desire to construct the rail line on its present schedule. It nonetheless raises significant trade-offs for Merced that we must recognize.
On the one hand, a southeast station means Merced remains in the initial phase of the High-Speed Rail project so that the current generation of residents may enjoy its benefits while we spare downtown from years (maybe longer) of construction. A transit-oriented hub can be built around a southeast station without disrupting existing neighborhoods, community facilities like the McCombs Youth Center and Senior Center would remain untouched, and the state’s investment will accelerate infrastructure improvements in a fast-growing area of our city.
On the other hand, the economic and cultural impacts long-promised by the state for downtown Merced will disappear in favor of an unknown future to be built in what is now an empty field. Visitors arriving by High-Speed Rail might bypass downtown while the infusion of opportunity made possible by the project never reaches long-time residents who have championed downtown Merced for years. And the train may still have to go through downtown to get to Sacramento one day.
At least, those are the arguments from observers on either side of the station relocation debate.
Our city council asks the community to focus on the information available today and the decisions that lie ahead. We need you to turn that page so our community can come to a consensus on whether to support the proposed station move and on what terms.
Here is how we see things:
The question before Merced is no longer whether we want High-Speed Rail to benefit our community. We do. The question is how this once-in-a-generation investment can best serve our community from now into the next century. Answering that question requires clear vision and a comprehensive strategy.
For years, the city planned around a downtown station because of the opportunities it presented. High-Speed Rail, ACE, Amtrak, local transit, downtown businesses, neighborhoods, and regional destinations had the potential to function as one integrated transportation network bringing people to the vibrant core of Merced. That package of benefits is even codified in a state law called SB198 that remains in effect.
Today, the reality is that ACE and Amtrak are not coming to downtown Merced, and High-Speed Rail has shifted toward a potential station to the southeast. The conversation has changed, but that does not eliminate the need for the city to protect our community’s interests.
Residents, businesses, and community organizations have asked thoughtful and reasonable questions. How will a southeast station connect to downtown, UC Merced, local transit, and surrounding neighborhoods? What infrastructure will be needed? How will these decisions shape Merced over the coming decades?
These questions deserve answers.
To date, neither the city nor the public has seen conceptual drawings showing how a southeast station would function or integrate with surrounding development and transportation systems. Nor has there been a comprehensive public discussion about the roadway improvements, utility upgrades, public safety resources, transit connections, and other infrastructure that will be necessary to support relocating the station. Equally important, the costs borne by Merced from supporting a state transportation project should be fully identified and fairly allocated.
These are not minor details. That is why the city council gave direction to city staff and this committee to work with our partners at the Authority, the County of Merced, and the Merced County Association of Governments (our county’s transportation planning agency) to set the basic terms under which a southeast Merced station would be built. No fancy drawings need be created at this stage. But until we know what will be gained and lost by constructing a station in the southeast, as well as the costs to Merced, our community cannot make an informed choice about whether to support the move or not.
Our goal is to achieve four essential deliverables:
- A publicly shared conceptual vision showing what a southeast Merced station would look like and how it would integrate with surrounding neighborhoods and future development, as well as a clear-eyed assessment of the trade-offs to our city inherent in relocating the High-Speed Rail station from downtown to the southeast.
- A comprehensive transportation plan demonstrating how High-Speed Rail will connect with local transit (including the Merced Integrated Transit Center), downtown, UC Merced, Merced Yosemite Regional Airport, local businesses, neighborhoods, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
- A realistic assessment of the infrastructure improvements needed to support a relocated station, and their costs.
- A clear understanding of funding responsibilities so local taxpayers are not expected to shoulder costs associated with relocating a state transportation facility.
These requests are intended to strengthen the project, not slow it down. Providing this information will build public confidence, reduce uncertainty, and help ensure this once-in-a-generation investment achieves its full potential. You will be hearing from us, and we hope to hear from you.
Shane Smith represents District 4 on the Merced City Council and wrote this opinion piece on behalf of the Merced City Council Transportation Committee. The committee includes Smith, Mayor Matthew Serratto and Mayor Pro Tem Sarah Boyle.