Southern California

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) continues to invest in Southern California projects that will provide near-term regional mobility benefits and lay the foundation for high-speed rail service.

- Funding Agreements
- Project Progress

Southern California has 4 of the 10 largest cities in the state, which will be connected by high-speed rail

Activities are already underway that will provide improved transportation choices for the more than 23 million people that call Southern California home. The Authority is providing $1.3 billion of Proposition 1A funds and other funding to support investments in Southern California projects.

Southern California at a Glance Factsheet

Funding Agreements

In collaboration with regional stakeholders, the Authority completed funding agreements for the following projects:

$18 million for the environmental review of the Link Union Station (LinkUS) Project.
$76.7 million to the Rosecrans/Marquardt Grade Separation Project.
The Authority has also committed $423 million for the Link US Phase A run-through track and station improvements project.

PROJECT PROGRESS

Rosecrans/Marquardt Grade Separation Project

The Authority provided $76.7 million in Proposition 1A funds for the Rosecrans/Marquardt Grade Separation Project in Santa Fe Springs that improves safety and traffic flow.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the lead agency on the project, estimates that more than 112 trains and more than 45,000 vehicles use the crossing daily.

Los Angeles Union Station – Link Union Station (Link US) Project

The Link US Project involves extensive track and station upgrades to Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS) that will transform access for regional services as well as modernize the station into a world-class facility.
The Authority contributed $18 million toward the environmental review and is responsible for the NEPA review of the project under the Authority’s federal NEPA Assignment responsibilities. That Authority’s Board of Directors approved the Link US Funding Plan in April 2020, establishing the Authority’s commitment to provide an additional $423 million in Proposition 1A bookend funds toward the project.
LA Metro certified the Link US Final SEIR on October 23, 2025, during the Metro Board General Meeting. Work has begun to clear property for this historic expansion.

BNSF Partnership

The Authority worked with BNSF Railway (BNSF), CalSTA and regional rail providers to develop a concept in the Los Angeles to Anaheim project section to accommodate existing diesel passenger and freight rail traffic while adding electrified high-speed rail tracks. The concept will fit mostly inside the existing right of way, thereby reducing impacts in the main corridor.
The Authority is considering a No Build Alternative in additional to the Preferred Alternative, the Shared Passenger Track Alternative A, with a Light Maintenance Facility (LMF) at 26th Street in Vernon and an additional build alternative, the Shared Passenger Track Alternative B, with a Light Maintenance Facility at 15th Street in Los Angeles in the draft environmental document. The alternatives are identical, except for the proposed location of the LMF.

Future Palmdale Station Planning

In December 2020, the Palmdale City Council approved the Palmdale Transit Area Specific Plan, which details how land can be developed around the 746 acres near the future high-speed rail station.
The Authority partially funded the plan, which includes the creation of a multimodal transportation hub to connect high-speed rail, Metrolink, Brightline West, Amtrak and future light rail, as well as Greyhound bus services and other local transit options.
When fully built, the corridor will connect Southern California to Northern California, and Las Vegas – through Victor Valley.

Brightline West

Brightline West, a Brightline-affiliated company, has started preliminary construction on a high-speed rail line to connect Las Vegas, Nevada and Victorville, California. Connecting the two systems would generate significant benefits for both systems, including higher ridership and the possibility of bringing high-speed rail benefits to Southern California sooner.
In January 2019, we joined CalSTA and Caltrans to collaborate with Brightline West through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining our intent to evaluate opportunities to extend the high-speed rail system, share information to evaluate interoperability, and evaluate and identify joint purchasing opportunities for materials and possibly trainsets and reservation/ticketing systems.

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