Merced advocates want high-speed rail downtown. Project CEO says moving station is best
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Merced advocates oppose relocating the high-speed rail station away from downtown.
- Choudri says relocating the station could save about $1 billion the project lacks.
- Debate centers on economic impacts of changing Merced station area.
In recent months, bullet train supporters from Merced have made it clear they oppose the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s plan to pursue building a station outside the city’s downtown area.
The rail authority has said the move to unincorporated county land off Highway 99 and Mission Avenue could save the train project $1 billion. But some residents, business owners and advocates have framed the plan as a broken economic promise for downtown, where they expected a station previously planned to be the Central Valley’s largest to spur new economic investment.
Rail authority CEO Ian Choudri says the move would be best for Merced and the state when considering available space downtown, the impacts of construction and how much money the project currently has access to.
“It’s not about broken promises,” Choudri told The Fresno Bee on Wednesday. “We want to have a smart discussion around what makes sense for the city.”
High-speed rail planning has been a roller coaster for Merced since August, when a rail authority report included various system expansion scenarios that did not include any Merced station in the initial segment. The report blindsided Merced officials and advocates, who have become regulars during the public comment period at the rail authority board meetings.
The rail authority in January proposed changing the Merced station location, which was long-planned for downtown but was never officially decided. The agency has yet to reveal where exactly around Highway 99 and Mission Avenue it wants to build. It also still has to convince state legislators to amend SB 198, a 2022 state law that requires Merced’s station to be built downtown.
Although many in Merced remain skeptical of what will result from the station’s re-planning, some local officials appear to be working with the proposal — at least for now.
“The City of Merced and other local stakeholders look forward to meeting with High-Speed Rail staff to develop a strategic plan to realize the station at the new location,” Frank Quintero, Merced deputy city attorney, said at the June 1 rail authority board meeting.
Merced advocates say rail station was meant to boost downtown
High-speed rail supporters have long said the project has the potential to revitalize the Central Valley’s downtowns with new businesses that will raise tax revenues. In Merced, local officials have planned for a future with a downtown high-speed rail station that also connects passengers to the Amtrak Gold Runner and Altamont Corridor Express, or ACE, train services.
Merced business owners have also made decisions that depend on a downtown station.
Lety Valencia, a Merced resident and director of organizing for the nonprofit Faith in the Valley, said during an April rail authority board meeting that those investments are now at risk. She commented on behalf of a coalition that included various community groups.
“Without a downtown Merced station as planned and promised, our community risks missing on the full benefits of high-speed rail,” said Valencia.
She added that plans to downsize the station would mean fewer jobs in Merced. The rail authority has proposed downsizing stations across the Central Valley, but says they will be designed to accommodate growth when ridership demands it.
High-Speed Rail CEO says ‘build responsibly’ in Merced, avoid disruptions
Choudri has floated various cost-cutting and funding ideas for the project since taking over as CEO. Relocating the Merced station is a strategy that could save $1 billion, Choudri told The Bee.
“There is a funding challenge that we have to deal with,” he said. “When we say $1 billion in savings, it is the saving of a billion we don’t have.”
Beyond the savings, Choudri said building in a new location would avoid prolonged disruptions from construction to downtown Merced. Instead, he said, Merced can maintain its downtown’s “historical structures” and grow in the direction of the new station area, which is just outside city limits.
“That’s one reason to ... build responsibly and build infrastructure in a way that contributes to the growth of the city and county,” he said, “which it will if we come to an agreement on where to put it.”
Choudri said he spoke to downtown business owners about the proposed change on Tuesday. He added that the rail authority is speaking to local elected officials about it “almost every day.”
