A proposal by California’s High Speed Rail Authority to build a bullet train station south of Mission Avenue – as opposed to downtown Merced – will be back before the City Council on Tuesday.
The council voted 6-1 at their Jan. 19 meeting to move the discussion forward. Councilmember Fue Xiong cast the dissenting vote.
Less than two weeks ago, authority officials gave a presentation to the council, saying building the long-planned downtown rail station at another site on unincorporated county land about four miles southeast could save $1 billion.
The City Council had a range of options before them, which included whether to support the conceptual new station outright or have staff conduct an analysis. Ultimately, council voted to allow the city’s transportation subcommittee and staff to continue meeting with the authority and continue to discuss the matter further.
Councilmember Mike Harris, in making the motion to put the item back on the Jan. 27 agenda, noted the city has held two town hall meetings this month, where the topic of the proposed High Speed Rail station was discussed.
Harris also mentioned there have been discussions with downtown businesses, Merced Main Street Association and others.
Although it wasn’t mentioned during the Jan. 19 meeting, Merced leaders are keenly aware of important dates for the project. Authority officials said they are trying to meet a Jan. 31 deadline to complete an updated draft business plan of the high speed rail project. The plan would be delivered to the California State Legislature by May.
Merced officials speak at authority board meeting
Several local officials spoke during public comment during this week’s High Speed Rail Authority Board meeting.
Mayor Matt Serratto brought hats from the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) for the board members. In bringing the hats, Serratto said he anticipated the proposed southeast station would be a “wonderful” connection to Yosemite National Park.
“It would be a great opportunity for Yosemite ridership,” Serratto told the board.
The mayor also spoke about the history of the Merced region and how railroads played an integral role in the city’s inception. “When Merced was founded, it was built around the railroads, like so many other of the Valley cities, and I think (high speed rail) is the modern-day expression of that, which I think would help our town.”
Josh Pedrozo, who represents District 2 on the Merced County Board of Supervisors, read a statement on behalf of the board in support of the ongoing dialogue around the proposed southeast Merced station.
“The proposed southern Merced County location presents an opportunity to examine potential advantages related to land availability, construction feasibility, multi-modal connectivity and regional access, particularly for residents throughout the broader county and neighboring jurisdictions,” Pedrozo said.
“We believe it is appropriate to objectively assess whether this alternative may better advance the authority’s goals while still delivering meaningful benefits to the Merced region.
Even if authority decides to move forward with the southeast Merced station site, it will still require approval from the Legislature. The authority is statutorily obligated to build the downtown Merced station under Senate Bill 198, which prioritizes building the train’s 171-mile initial operating segment from Bakersfield to Merced.
Under the authority’s current plans, the downtown Merced station would be built in an area bordered by 15th and 16th streets, and O and R streets.
Tuesday’s Merced City Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside the Merced Civic Center, 678 W. 18th Street.