California High-Speed Rail Authority revises 2020 business plan

The California High-Speed Rail Authority's (CHSRA) board last week adopted a revised 2020 business plan.

The plan includes a 171-mile Merced-Fresno-Bakersfield interim electrified service line in California’s Central Valley.

“The strategy outlined in this plan presents a clear path toward completing construction in the Central Valley,” said CHSRA Chief Executive Officer Brian Kelly in a press release.

The authority will submit the final plan for approval to the California State Legislature on or before April 15. More than 250 comments on the revised plan were submitted to the CHSRA.

The plan also includes a deadline for testing electrified high-speed trains by 2026-27 and placing those trains in service by the end of the decade.