A meeting on the California High-Speed Rail was held in Bakersfield at the downtown Marriot on Aug. 25 to propose and discuss the new alignment for the rail.

“We all have our own opinion on the high-speed rail and whether it should be built. Regardless of those views, we must prepare for the project and develop the best route through the city,” said Bakersfield City Manager Alan Tandy.

This meeting was the first of two, and it had an outcome of around 300 people.

The City of Bakersfield has had problems with the bullet train in the past, but Tandy put those issues aside in order to show cooperation with the CHSRA in proposing the new alignment.

“It’s straighter. It’s shorter. It is lower in terms of average profile. It allows higher speeds for the trains, thus allowing for an improved schedule…there are fewer impacts on major community assets,” said Tandy.

The new route being proposed would be around 6 1/2 miles shorter. It would have a station downtown at F Street and Golden State Avenue, but before that it would enter the town near 7th Standard Road and Coffee Road.

The second free open house meeting will be held at the Bakersfield Downtown Marriot at the Convention Center from 4-7 p.m. on Oct. 21. Another open-house meeting for the alignment’s path through Shafter will be held in Shafter from 4-7 p.m. on Sept. 17 at the Shafter Veterans Hall, 309 California Ave.

A full story will be on the Sept. 10 publishing of the Renegade Rip.