The group focused on potential for intercity travel journeys ranging between 161km and 805km, at speeds of more than 200mph (320km/h). The state government of one of the country’s fastest-growing areas, California, decided in 1993 to establish an Intercity High-Speed Rail Commission to develop a framework for the implementation of a high-speed rail network in the state. Another $4.5bn to $7bn will be generated through P3 (public-private partnership) funding. Federal government is to provide 25% to 33% of construction costs ($10bn to $12bn). Only partial state and federal financing have been approved for the project, which includes $2.6bn in state bonds. The 1,287km high-speed train system is estimated to cost $68bn. The work has been divided into a number of smaller projects. In September 2012, an 104.6km section the project was approved by the US Federal Railroad Administration. An initial funding bill for construction of a 209km stretch of the project was signed in July 2012. The decision to start the project was made in 2011, after detailed environmental studies and public opinion gathering, despite project proposal was made in way back in 2000. An implementation plan approved in August 2005 estimated that it would take eight to 11 years. The act also procures $950m to finance capital improvements to commuter and intercity rail and local transit lines to serve the high-speed train system. After more than a decade, the project received the state voters’ approval in November 2008 through Proposition 1A for Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act that authorises $9.95bn in bonds to establish a clean and efficient high-speed train service linking Southern California, Sacramento San Joaquin Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. The California high-speed train project is the first high-speed train system to be implemented in the US. A detailed study showed that high-speed lines are economically, environmentally and socially profitable, and one was therefore proposed in 2000. There were three options: increasing airport capacity, constructing new roads or introducing high-speed train services between major cities. The government had to upgrade its transport system considering the population growth estimates for California. The project will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than three hours at a speed of about 350km/h (220mph) by 2033. Further, the network will be extended to Sacramento and San Diego, covering a total distance of 1,287km with up to 24 stations.
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