Design
There's an Awful Lot of Parking Near This California High-Speed Rail Station
If a goal of the train is to reduce car-reliance, why does a new rendering show a big surface lot?
One of the primary goals of California high-speed rail is to get people out of their cars. So it’s a bit confusing to see the rail authority’s new video rendering of a proposed alignment in Bakersfield—complete with a great big surface parking lot outside the station.
Bakersfield recently agreed to drop a lawsuit against the rail project if the authority studied an alternative train route through the city. Unlike the original option, which loops into central Bakersfield via an Amtrak station, the alternative would run through a brand new F Street Station downtown. It would reportedly be “less disruptive than the earlier route,” uprooting few if any residential buildings.