High-Speed Rail Bay Area Alignment options unveiling March 22, 2006

High-Speed Rail Authority to Unveil Bay Area Alignment Options
Public Comment Sought on Pacheco Pass, Altamont Pass Alternatives

OAKLAND -- The California High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) will
begin soliciting public comment this week on proposals for station
locations and route alignments that would link the Bay Area with the
Central Valley and Southern California. The proposed alignments and
station sites will be presented at the HSRA's regularly scheduled
meeting this Wednesday in Oakland. Proposals will include southern
approaches to the Bay Area through the Pacheco Pass east of Gilroy
and eastern approaches through the Altamont Pass east of Livermore.
A detailed map of the proposed routes and potential station
locations is available on the HSRA Web site at
.

WHEN: 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006

WHERE: Elihu Harris State Office Building Auditorium
1515 Clay Street
Oakland, California

A $9.95 billion bond measure to finance development of a California
high-speed rail system is scheduled to appear on the statewide
ballot in November 2006. If approved by voters, the 220-mph trains
could begin traveling between the Bay Area and Southern California
within 8 to 11 years. Travel time from San Francisco to Los Angeles
would be about 2 hours and 35 minutes.

In addition to providing a fast link to the Central Valley and
Southern California, the high-speed rail system proposed for
California would become an important part of the Bay Area's rail
transit network. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
currently is working in partnership with the High-Speed Rail
Authority, BART and Caltrain to develop a detailed Regional Rail
Plan for the Bay Area.

MTC is the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area's transportation
planning, coordinating and financing agency.