Metrolink just got $60 million from the California High Speed Rail Authority to upgrade locomotives and passenger cars as part of the plan for the two agencies to share track and equiment as well as Prop 1A HSR funding. This so-called "blended approach" to building HSR won significant political support for HSR from elected officials and from communities because it maximizes the use of existing infrastructure -- thereby minimizing impacts on communities, which won't have to find locations for new rail lines and stations -- and provides an infusion of funding for cash-strapped commuter rail agencies. The blended approach will make improvements to the "bookends" of the HSR line -- in Southern California and in the Bay Area -- at the same time that the authority starts building the line through the Central Valley. "This is the biggest capacity-adding project in [Metrolink's] history," said Metrolink Board Chair Richard Katz. "It would not be possible without these funds." The upgrades to high horsepower locomotives will allow Metrolink to add more cars to train "sets" and increase the number of people moved -- which will be critical when HSR adds thousands of passengers to the system. The cleaner-burning engines will reduce emissions by up to 86 percent. The investment is also expected to support 3,000 jobs.
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