California High Speed Rail Project Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
At their regular meeting of July 28, 2020, the Burbank City Council will be asked to submit a comment letter on the Draft Environmental Impact Report / Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Burbank to Los Angeles Project Segment of the California High Speed Rail Project. The purpose of the comment letter will be to communicate to the Authority areas where the City believes the DEIR/DEIS may be inadequate, or where the City disagrees with the findings of the DEIR/DEIS. Providing a comment letter ensures that the Authority is required to address any deficiencies in their environmental document prior to finalizing the DEIR/DEIS. The Authority's public comment period closes July 31, 2020. Interested members of the public may attend the City Council meeting and provide input to the City Council on the proposed comment letter.
The California High Speed Rail Project is a high-speed (up to 220 mph) conventional train system connecting San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento, along with other intermediate cities. The route would pass through the City of Burbank and would include a stop near the Burbank Bob Hope Airport. The California High Speed Rail Authority is the lead government agency overseeing the project.
City of Burbank staff has been monitoring the Authority’s ongoing progress as it develops the proposed project. As of Summer 2020, the High Speed Rail Authority is studying project alignments between Palmdale and Los Angeles. The Authority has broken up this segment of the project into two sub-sections affecting Burbank:
- Palmdale to Burbank Section
- Burbank to Los Angeles Section
Both project sections include a station near the Burbank Bob Hope Airport. More information about each section can be found on the High Speed Rail Authority website via the links above.
In May 2020, the Authority released a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Burbank to Los Angeles section.
At this time there has been no formal recommendation or policy direction made by the Burbank City Council in favor or opposition of the California High Speed Rail Project.