Hollister – County supervisors said Tuesday they’re opposed to plans for a high-speed train connecting the Bay Area to Los Angeles.
The board was scheduled to approve a letter to the California High-Speed Rail Authority expressing specific concerns with the project, including impact on land in the north county and the potential loss of transportation funds for local projects. But on Tuesday, the supervisors scrapped the old letter and instructed county staff to prepare a new one opposing the entire project.
Supervisor Don Marcus said the train, estimated to cost between $6 billion and $20.4 billion to build and between $1.07 billion and $2 billion annually to operate, will be “an expensive burden to the taxpayer.”
Gilroy, Morgan Hill, San Jose and the Transportation Agency for Monterey County have said they support plans to build the train through Pacheco Pass with stops in Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Jose.
“It’s probably not going to make a significant difference,” Marcus said of the local vote. “But that’s not for us to interpret. We’re here to represent all the taxpayers.”
