California Intercity High-Speed Rail Commission
The California Intercity High-Speed Rail Commission was created by the California legislature in 1993 to develop a plan that was to begin construction in 2000 and by 2020 provide high-speed rail service between San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento.
In 1996 the Commission determined that high-speed rail was feasible in California. The Commission in 1996 projected that the construction period would be from 2000 to 2005 between Los Angeles and San Francisco and from 2006 to 2008 the extensions to San Diego and Sacramento would be built. The total cost of the San Diego-Los Angeles-San Francisco-Sacramento system would be $18.18 billion.
The commission was replaced in 1996 by the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which aims to connect Gilroy to Palmdale by 2045.
History
Prior to the creation of the Commission, in 1989 the California legislature had created another: the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission. Commission staff projected that a high-speed train would reach Anaheim as early as 1998, and that the final construction of a complete high-speed rail network linking all of California would be completed by 2039.The California Intercity High Speed Rail Commission was created via California Senate Resolution No. 6. The Commission conducted four key studies for its twenty-year plan, namely: economic impact and comparison with other modes of transport; demand and market study; route and environmental constraints; and an institutional and financing options analysis.
In 1996, the Board of Directors consisted of nine directors, with Dean R. Dunphy as Chairman and Daniel S. Leavitt as Executive Director of the Commission.