Help Make California High-Speed Rail Happen

“Critics of the high-speed rail project abound as they often do when something of this magnitude is proposed. During the 1930s, the Central Valley Water Project was called a ‘fantastic dream’ that ‘will not work.’ The Master Plan for the Interstate Highway System in 1939 was derided as ‘New Deal jitterbug economics.’… Similarly, the Panama Canal was for years thought to be impractical and Benjamin Disraeli himself said of the Suez Canal: ‘totally impossible to be carried out.’ The critics were wrong then and they’re wrong now.”
– California Governor Jerry Brown

This spring the California Legislature will decide whether to begin construction on the nation's first 220-mph high-speed rail line.

The California Legislature must include high-speed rail construction funds in its FY2013 budget (which begins July 1, 2012) in order to take advantage of Federal high-speed rail funds awarded to the state for this project.

California High Speed Rail has become a pivotal project regarding the future of national passenger rail policy. Its success will make it easier to obtain support for other passenger rail projects across the country, ranging from local streetcars to high-speed rail projects. Its failure will be a setback for everyone.

California Governor Brown is a strong champion of the project. He is working to create a package of investments that will bring benefits to the majority of Californians quickly. He needs to be encouraged in his efforts, and he needs help persuading the legislature.

It is critical that California residents who support high-speed rail, or any other passenger rail project, let their legislators know. Do you live in California? Take Action! Click the California Residents button to email your state legislators. Don't live in California? Email your California friends about this issue. Click the Non-California Residents button to email them.

Will you help us make California High Speed Rail a reality?