Fresno Hopes to Land High Speed Rail Maintenance Yard

FRESNO, Calif. Fresno County is hoping to lure the maintenance yard for California's planned high speed rail line.

The chairman of the High Speed Rail Authority will be touring this area, and also an area south of Fresno that could one day be the home of thousands of high paying jobs.

Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea said, "It's pull out al the stops tomorrow. Roll out the red carpet. Bring all the players in Fresno that can impact this decision."

Fresno County is battling other Valley cities to land the maintenance facility for voter approved high speed rail.

The project is still in the planning phase, but once completed trains travelling at 220 miles an hour would link commuters in the Bay Area, the Central Valley and Southern California.

These bullet trains will need to be built and maintained year round. Local leaders are hoping to convince the head of the rail authority that a location just south of Fresno is the best place to build the maintenance facility.

If chosen ... thousands of jobs would be created and roughly a billion dollars in revenue would be generated in the Valley ... an economic game changer.

"Because it brings over 2500 jobs to Fresno County that are very high tech. These are the people that will assemble the bullet trains," said Perea.

Curt Pringle is the chairman of the California High Speed Rail Authority. Supervisor Perea will be part of a delegation that will take Pringle on a helicopter tour around the county.

City officials say in the end Fresno presents the path of least resistance for the project.

Supervisor Perea also points out a scenario that benefits Fresno. He says a Valley resident can commute to work in the Bay Area and be there by eight in the morning ... and then be back home in time for dinner by six.

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