Oakland, CA., April 17, 2009 — The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) officials are thrilled with President Obama’s support for passenger rail and are hopeful this commitment will help allocate funding for several Capitol Corridor infrastructure projects.
“Northern California will certainly benefit from this new and exciting interest in passenger rail,” CCJPA Chair Jim Holmes said. “Segments of our corridor, specifically our service into San Jose and Sacramento Stations, will become a major extension of high-speed rail for passengers destined for points along our route. We are currently reviewing the Department of Transportation’s Vision for High-Speed Rail in America plan and preparing our candidate project list that will conform to the federal funding criteria. When funded, these stimulus projects will create jobs immediately and will result in permanent long-term employment as well.”
In a separate development, CCJPA Managing Director Eugene K. Skoropowski was selected by Governor Schwartzenegger’s administration this week to serve in the State of California’s High-Speed Rail Independent Peer Review committee to provide expertise in building out the high-speed rail project. Skoropowski was also invited to attend when President Obama made his historical announcement to allocate stimulus funding towards high-speed and intercity passenger rail yesterday, fulfilling CCJPA’s life-long dream for federal support.
“The President’s high-speed rail proposal is aimed to develop clean, energy-efficient transportation,” Skoropowski said. “His plan was general, but his vision includes improvements to existing rail services. Most importantly, the plan envisions a series of high speed rail corridors interconnecting with existing intercity passenger rail systems. I never thought I would hear such a program and such commitment from any President in my lifetime. To say I am thrilled is an understatement. Federal investment in our system is a triple win for the economy, for the environment and for our passengers.”