California’s high-speed rail project, one of the state’s most ambitious infrastructure initiatives, faces a pivotal moment as officials consider altering its route through Kern County, according to local reports.

It is the latest development in a long-troubled project beset by cost overruns, construction delays, and shifting political support.

Why It Matters

The project’s alignment has long been a focal point for local concerns over property use, environmental impact, business disruption, and construction timetables. Any alteration could influence the project’s cost, timeline, and community reception, especially in the Central Valley, where agreements were previously reached following environmental lawsuits.

What To Know

Officials with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) are reevaluating how the planned high-speed rail system will run through Kern County, according to Bakersfield.com. The review aims to minimize costs, accelerate construction, and lessen impacts on local residents and businesses.

On Thursday, CHSRA spokesman Kyle Simerly told the outlet, “As design progresses on extensions to Merced and Bakersfield, we are working to reduce costs, in this case by reducing the right-of-way — property needed to be acquired by the authority to build high-speed rail track and systems.”

He did not disclose further details, saying the proposal remains under consideration.

The possible changes first surfaced publicly during a Shafter City Council meeting on Monday, where the council rejected the authority’s suggestion to alter the train’s path through the city. As of Thursday, officials from Bakersfield and Kern County said they had not been contacted about any proposed revisions and had received no recent communication from the rail authority.

The revisions would mark a notable shift, coming six years after the Shafter-to-Bakersfield alignment was approved and four years after finalization of the Bakersfield-to-Palmdale segment.

According to the 2019 approved plan, the Shafter-to-Bakersfield section would cover about 23 miles, running roughly southeast and east at street level from Poplar Avenue in Shafter to Highway 99, then continuing mostly on an elevated platform to a Bakersfield station at F Street and Golden State Avenue.

The route’s alignment has been contentious for years. Bakersfield settled an environmental lawsuit in 2015 after the authority agreed to study alternate alignments, and Kern County reached its own settlement in 2017 under similar terms.

Authority officials have indicated that the new design refinements aim to reduce property acquisitions and emphasized that the changes would not affect traffic or residential properties, while minimizing business impacts. Simerly said the agency plans to meet with property owners to minimize impacts as project designs advance.

A Bakersfield city spokesperson said that any further modifications to the locally generated alternative, approved a decade ago, would require city approval. The city has had no communication with the rail authority in at least three months and is unaware of any changes to the proposed routes through Bakersfield.

Inside the Shafter Debate

During Monday’s Shafter council meeting, CHSRA representatives proposed adjustments intended to reduce construction time, interruptions, and costs by using grade separations, such as overpasses, instead of building a 35-foot wall along the rail line. The wall, under the current plan, is expected to take years to build.

But city residents, business owners, and council members expressed concern that the suggested changes would be unnecessarily disruptive to the community. In the end, the council voted to maintain the 2018 plan, which had been part of an environmental lawsuit settlement with the authority. Officials said they remain open to negotiation, but only if the goal is to reroute the project to bypass the city altogether.

What People Are Saying

Jay Schlosser, executive director of the Kern Council of Governments, told Bakersfield.com: “[I] didn’t even know [rail authority officials] were coming to town.”

“They need to get it right for Bakersfield and for Kern County in general,” he added.

A City of Bakersfield spokesperson said: “There have been no changes to proposed routes through the city of Bakersfield that we are aware of.”

What Happens Next

The CHSRA plans to consult with property owners in Kern County and continue refining its design with the goal of reducing costs and impacts before any construction changes move forward.

For official updates, residents can visit the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s website or contact their regional offices directly.