Thanks for Rail Funds, Florida

The board of the California High-Speed Rail Authority voted unanimously Wednesday to apply for all the fast-rail funding recently returned to the federal government by Florida.

California plans to apply for the $2.43 billion rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, while offering a 20% state match to make the bid more competitive.

California, with the help of a $10 billion general obligation bond measure approved by state voters in 2008, is trying to build a high-speed train system linking the Los Angeles area to the San Francisco Bay area.

The authority said the Florida funds would allow the state to finance the system’s Central Valley backbone, through the flat terrain between Merced and Bakersfield, and build either north or south through mountain ranges separating the valley from the Bay Area and the Los Angeles Basin.

“California has proven that it can and will lead the nation with a vision of true high-speed rail,” board chairman Curt Pringle said in a statement. “Every mile of track laid in the Central Valley represents another step toward realizing a statewide system to connect north and south, which will bring private investment, job creation, and economic strength to California.”

Applications for Florida’s rejected funds are due April 4.

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Transportation industry
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