Program EIR/EIS Documents for the Statewide High-Speed Rail System (Tier 1)

The Authority has used a tiered environmental review process to support tiered decisions for the HSR system. Tiering of environmental documents means addressing a broad program in “Tier 1” environmental documents, then analyzing the details of individual projects within the larger program in subsequent project-specific or “Tier 2” environmental documents. The Authority and the Federal Railroad Administration prepared two Tier 1 documents for the statewide HSR system.

• The Final Program Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the proposed California High-Speed Train System (Authority and FRA 2005) provided a programmatic analysis of implementing the HSR system across the state and compared it to the impacts of a No Project Alternative and a modal alternative that involved expanding airports, freeways, and conventional rail to meet the state’s future transportation needs.
• The Bay Area to Central Valley High-Speed Train Final Program EIR/EIS (Authority and FRA 2008) provided a further programmatic analysis of corridor and station locations for the HSR connection between the Bay Area and the Central Valley, examining connections through the Pacheco Pass, the Altamont Pass, or both. As a result of litigation, the Authority prepared additional programmatic environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, resulting in the Bay Area to Central Valley Partially Revised Final Program EIR (Authority 2012).