San José to Merced

On April 28, 2022, the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (Authority) Board of Directors certified the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) and approved the San Jose to Merced project section in Northern California. This action completes the environmental clearance for nearly 400 miles of the high-speed rail project’s 500-mile Phase 1 alignment from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim. 

The Board’s actions mark their first certification of an environmental document in the Northern California region and the first in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

The Final EIR/EIS can be found on the Authority’s website: View the project section environmental documents.

Throughout the process, Authority staff will continue to engage stakeholders and communities along the corridor.

The Authority encourages public engagement to advance California high-speed rail in Northern California so that the final project reflects the needs and vision of our community as a whole.

We conduct outreach events including Open Houses, Community Working Groups, and attending regional events throughout Northern California to inform and gather input from local communities, policymakers, and stakeholders. Stakeholders include environmental justice groups, community organizations, city/county staff, neighborhood groups, and California residents.

For more detailed information, factsheets, and visualizations of project elements please visit MeetHSRNorcal.org.

Please visit the Events page for a listing of upcoming events and outreach opportunities in your area.

Events Archive:

March 2022

• San José Community Working Group Webinar – 3/9
  • Agenda
  • Presentation
  • Meeting Summary
• Morgan Hill to Gilroy Community Working Group Webinar – 3/10
  • Agenda
  • Presentation
  • Meeting Summary

October 2021

• Fall Community Working Group Webinar – 10/25
  • Agenda
  • Presentation
  • Meeting Summary

March 2021

• Spring Community Working Group Webinar – 3/3
  • Agenda
  • Presentation
  • Meeting Summary

November 2020

• Fall Community Working Group Webinar – 11/18
  • Agenda
  • Presentation
  • Meeting Summary

 May 2020

• Draft EIR/EIS Open House Q&A Webinars on MeetHSRNorcal.org – 05/11, 05/14, 05/18
• Draft EIR/EIS Public Hearing – 05/27

March 2020

• Spring Community Working Group Meetings
  • Presentation
• Morgan Hill-Gilroy – 03/09
  • Agenda
  • Meeting Summary
• San José – 03/11
  • Agenda
  • Meeting Summary

August 2019

• Preferred Alternative Open Houses:
  • Board of Directors Meeting Presentation
  • Outreach Summary Report
• San José – 8/15
• Los Banos – 8/21
• Gilroy – 8/22

July 2019

• Preferred Alternative San José to Merced Community Working Group Meetings:
  • Presentation
• Morgan Hill – Gilroy – 7/10
  • Meeting Summary
• San José – 7/16
  • Meeting Summary

Due to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, meeting materials prior to July 2019 can be requested through a Public Records Act request.

• San José
• Gilroy
• Merced

Visit the address lookup and interactive online map to find your property in relation to the project alternatives.

• San José to Merced Project Section Map

Newsletter

The Authority releases quarterly regional newsletters to keep stakeholders and the public up to date on the high-speed rail program. To sign up for the newsletter, complete the form on the Contact Us page and select “Northern California” from the dropdown menu. View the most recent Northern California Regional Newsletter.

Factsheets

Visit the Factsheets page to learn more about California High-Speed Rail and to view the Authority’s factsheets. To learn more about the San José to Merced Project Section, please see the following factsheets.

• Tunneling in Northern California
  • Construcción de túneles en el norte de California
  • 北加州隧道修建工程
  • Xây đường hầm tại bắc California
  • Paglalagay ng Tunel sa Hilagang California
• At-Grade Crossing Safety in Northern California
  • Seguridad en los pasos a nivel en el norte de California
  • 北加州鐵路平交道安全說明
  • An toàn giao lộ giữa đường xe và đường sắt tại bắc California
  • Kaligtasan ng At-Grade Crossing sa Hilagang California
• Wildlife Movement in Northern California
  • Movimiento de la vida silvestre en el norte de California
  • 北加州野生動物遷徙活動
  • Hành trình di chuyển của động vật hoang dã tại bắc California
  • Paggalaw ng Huhay-ilang sa Hilagang California

On April 28, 2022, the Authority Board of Directors certified the Final EIR/EIS for the San José to Merced project section. The Final EIR/EIS can be found on the Authority’s website: View the project section environmental documents.

Please visit the links below to view the latest project section and California High Speed-Rail reports. Project Section documents & reports:

• San Jose to Merced Project Section Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
• San Jose to Merced Project Section Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement
• San Jose to Merced Project Section Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
• San Jose to Merced Project Section Supplemental Alternatives Analysis
• San Jose to Merced Project Section Alternative Analysis
• San Jose to Merced Project Section Scoping Report
• San Jose to Merced Project Section Notice of Intent/Notice of Preparation

Statewide documents & reports:

• Sustainability Report
• Project Update Reports
• High-Speed Rail Business Plans

The documents are available for review upon request. The Authority encourages written requests submitted via our Public Records Portal.

If you are interested in inviting the Authority to your community meeting to receive a project update, the team would be happy to coordinate with you. (800) 455-8166 northern.california@hsr.ca.gov Visit the Contact Us page to sign up for e-mail alerts and for additional contact information.