January 21, 2026
Submitted by email to: Los.Angeles_Anaheim@hsr.ca.gov
Attn: Los Angeles to Anaheim Draft EIR/EIS Comment from RailPAC
Dear CHSRA staff,
The Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada (RailPAC) is an all-volunteer non-profit passenger rail advocacy group, founded in 1978.
RailPAC supports the Preferred Alternative, the Shared Passenger Track Alternative A, with 30 miles of new and upgraded track between LA Union Station and Anaheim, with overhead contact system (OCS) electrification, grade separations, station improvements and a new light maintenance facility at 26th Street in the City of Vernon.
RailPAC wants to emphasize that expanding the track capacity in the LA-Fullerton rail corridor to four total mainline tracks will greatly benefit Metrolink, Amtrak and BNSF freight trains, along with future high speed rail trains. The 30-mile CHSR project section from LA Union Station to ARTIC is currently shared by Metrolink and Amtrak passenger trains, along with BNSF freight trains. Between LA and Fullerton, Metrolink currently runs a total of 40 weekday trains (the Orange County and 91/Perris Valley lines), and Amtrak runs 26 Pacific Surfliner and two Southwest Chief trains daily. As this segment is also part of BNSF’s Southern Transcon mainline between LA and Chicago, it sees an average of nearly 60 freight trains per day. The Orange County line and Surfliner also run on the Fullerton-Anaheim segment (owned by Orange County Transportation Authority), along with several BNSF freight trains a day towards San Diego. The capacity upgrades planned for the LA-Anaheim CHSR segment will result a greater number of trains overall, and much better separation of freight and all passenger trains that share the corridor, greatly increasing reliability and on-time performance of both.
We are pleased that the CHSRA recognizes the importance of early action projects that could utilize this LA-Anaheim EIR/EIS, which presents a great opportunity for Metrolink and other public agencies to use CHSRA’s environmental approvals to electrify the corridor, add needed track capacity, and build new grade separations. BNSF has agreed to allow OCS on right-of-way it owns, with CHSRA designing the contact wire to be tall enough to double-stack container trains to run underneath. This is very significant achievement for CHSRA, as it is perhaps the first time in many decades that a Class I railroad has agreed to allow new OCS to be constructed on rail right-of-way it owns. Metrolink should run electric trains using the OCS infrastructure covered by this EIS/EIR, which can be built prior to the arrival of high speed trains, following the example of Caltrain between San Jose and San Francisco. Average speeds for Metrolink service will increase, with faster acceleration from electric trains, leading to the ‘sparks effect’ of increased ridership (well documented following electrification of Caltrain and rail systems around the world). RailPAC also supports the proposed relocations of the Buena Park and Commerce Metrolink stations, which will better serve their respective communities.
Thank you for your consideration,
Brian Yanity
Fullerton, CA
Vice President-South, RailPAC
