Merced station (California High-Speed Rail)

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Merced
LocationMartin Luther King, Jr. Way
Merced, California
Coordinates37°17′54″N 120°28′47″W / 37.298422°N 120.479747°W / 37.298422; -120.479747Coordinates: 37°17′54″N 120°28′47″W / 37.298422°N 120.479747°W / 37.298422; -120.479747
Owned byCalifornia High-Speed Rail Authority
History
Opening2025 (ACE)
c. 2029 (Amtrak)
2029 (CAHSR)
Future services
Preceding station Altamont Corridor Express Following station
2025
Livingston
toward San Jose
 San Jose – Merced Terminus
Livingston
toward Natomas/Sacramento Airport
 Valley Rail
Preceding station California High-Speed Rail Following station
2029
Terminus Phase I Madera
towards Anaheim
2031
Terminus Phase I Gilroy
towards San Francisco 4th and King Street
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Future
Denair
toward Sacramento
 San Joaquins Terminus
Denair
toward Natomas/Sacramento Airport
Location
Merced is located in California
Merced
Merced
Location within California

Merced station is a proposed California High-Speed Rail station in Merced, California, located in Downtown Merced on Martin Luther King Jr. Way near the interchange with Route 99/59, and is about 7 blocks south from the existing Merced Amtrak station. The station was initially intended to be the northern terminus of the system's Initial Construction Segment. The high-speed rail line runs along the right-of-way of the Union Pacific Railroad at this location.[1]

The station is north of the planned Chowchilla Wye, where the high-speed rail splits into two branches. Merced is on the eastern branch, which at the conclusion of Phase II will continue northwards to Sacramento.[2]

The California High-Speed Rail Authority's February 2016 draft business plan said that the Merced station would not begin service at the same time as the initial San Jose to Bakersfield route in 2025, but would likely open in 2029 instead.[3] The Merced City Council vigorously opposed the delay in the station opening, noting that Merced would be a prime area for commuters seeking to use high-speed rail to access jobs in Silicon Valley.[4] In response, the April 2016 revisions to the business plan indeed included Merced in the initial construction segment, initially as a single-track spur connecting only to the westbound track to the Bay Area, with buildout of the full Chowchilla Wye happening later.[5][6]

The station was chosen as the terminus of the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail extension into Stanislaus and Merced Counties;[7] the siting of ACE platforms will be dependent on the HSR location selection and may also change accordingly. The line is planned to open to the station as early as 2025,[8][9] anticipating high-speed services.

Additionally, the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority has plans to run San Joaquins trains to the station as a feeder line into the Merced to Bakersfield high speed segment. A new rail link connecting the BNSF Stockton Subdivision on the north of Merced to the high speed rail station will facilitate the transfer.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ "Merced Station". California High-Speed Rail Authority. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  2. ^ "Project Sections". California High-Speed Rail Authority. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  3. ^ Miller, Thaddeus (2016-02-23). "High-speed rail changes leave Merced leaders wondering". Merced Sun-Star. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  4. ^ Miller, Thaddeus (2016-04-06). "Merced drafts letter denouncing new HSR plans". Merced Sun-Star. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  5. ^ Associated Press (2016-04-21). "California High-Speed Rail Officials Tinker With Plans". Capital Public Radio. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  6. ^ Cruickshank, Robert (2016-04-21). "CHSRA Proposes Revisions to 2016 Business Plan". California High Speed Rail Blog. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ "Final Environmental Impact Report: Appendix C-23 - Prelim Engineering Plans" (PDF). SJRRC. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  8. ^ Holland, John (4 December 2021). "Board advances ACE service to Turlock and Merced County. When will first train run?". Modesto Bee. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  9. ^ Luczak, Marybeth (6 December 2021). "ACE Ceres-Merced Extension Project Advances". Railway Age. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  10. ^ "2020 Business Plan" (PDF). SJJPA. Retrieved 16 May 2020.

External links[]

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