SACRAMENTO -- California's bullet train planners are going after $4.6 billion in federal stimulus money, including nearly $1.3 billion to begin work on the route from Merced to Bakersfield through Fresno.
The state High Speed Rail Authority unanimously approved the application at a hearing Wednesday, along with plans to match the funding with state and local money.
Valley officials had feared the authority would seek money for only a portion of the Valley route, so they were pleased with the vote.
"The San Joaquin Valley is united behind this recommendation," Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin said in testimony.
California's application seeks more than half of the $8 billion in federal stimulus money dedicated to high-speed rail construction.
Regions expected to compete for the money include Florida, the Northeast and the Midwest. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger must formally submit California's bid by Oct. 2.
The rail line, estimated to cost about $40 billion, is planned to eventually run from Sacramento and San Francisco to San Diego, with trains hitting top speeds of 220 mph.
The stimulus application seeks money for four segments that the authority said are furthest in the planning process: Merced-Fresno, Fresno-Bakersfield, San Francisco-San Jose and Los Angeles-Anaheim. Stimulus rules require construction to start by September 2012 and finish in 2017.
The Valley route is a priority because rural stretches can be used to test trains at their top speeds, according to the authority.
With local and state matches, the federal money would be enough to complete up to 70% of the construction on the 148-mile Valley route, planners said. The segments would stop just short of Merced, Fresno and Bakersfield. The cities would be connected later, but the initial test tracks could be used by conventional rail, planners said.
In the planning stages for many years, the high-speed rail project got a major boost in 2008 when voters approved a bond that includes $9 billion to jump-start construction.
The federal stimulus money could provide another shot in the arm. But even if California were approved for its entire request -- and that's far from certain -- the state would need to find at least $26 billion more to complete the project.
Planners hope to raise a good chunk of the money from private sources, including rail equipment vendors and institutional investors. Local governments also are expected to contribute.
Under the terms of the high-speed rail bond, route segments that draw the most federal, private and local money jump to the front of the line, said Mehdi Morshed, the authority's executive director.
"The authority must give priority to projects that require the least amount of [state] bond funds," he said.
The Bay Area segment has drawn more than $300 million in local pledges, authority officials said. The Valley has generated far less.
"Other regions in California are further along with their planning for high-speed rail," Swearengin said in an interview, although she noted that rail planners have yet to seek money.
One "potential funding source," she said, is $100 million that's now set aside for rail consolidation. The money comes from Measure C, Fresno County's half-cent transportation sales tax.
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