More Monday morning rail news:
— A draft environment statement says that building California’s high speed rail system from Bakersfield to Palmdale, Calif., across the Tehachapi Mountains would cost $18.1 billion and force the removal or relocation of more than 300 businesses and 250 residential units in the Lancaster-Palmdale area. The Los Angeles Times reports that the preferred route would include 9.3 miles of tunnels and 15.8 of bridges.
— A District of Columbia council member is proposing making transit free for district residents by providing $100 in monthly ticket credits. The Washington Post reports council member Charles Allen says the plan would provide new fare revenue for DC Metro, remove an obstacle to jobs for low-income residents, and would be paid for with surplus tax revenue, which has exceeded projections the last five years.
— Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit could extend service north to Healdsburg, Calif., by 2024 if a ballot measure passes Tuesday, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports. That date was included in a Feb. 21 to Healdsburg city officials in advance of a meeting tonight in Healdsburg on possible locations for a Healdsburg station. Tuesday’s ballot measure would extend by 30 years the quarter-cent sales tax that has funded the building and operation of SMART.
