Los Angeles–Anaheim high-speed rail draft EIR/EIS released

Los Angeles–Anaheim high-speed rail plans have moved forward, with the California High-Speed Rail Authority news release announcing a draft environmental document that will remain open for public review and comment through 3 February 2026.

Los Angeles–Anaheim high-speed rail draft EIR/EIS: scope and timeline

The document, published on 5 December 2025, is presented as a Draft Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for a 30-mile section in Southern California. The Authority says it was prepared in line with the California Environmental Quality Act and the US National Environmental Policy Act, and it has also set out access and comment information on the Los Angeles to Anaheim Project Section environmental documents page.

In the Authority’s framing, completing this step is the final stage toward full environmental clearance for Phase 1 of the planned 494-mile high-speed rail system linking the San Francisco Bay Area with Los Angeles and Anaheim. The Los Angeles–Anaheim section would sit at the southern end of Phase 1.

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Corridor, endpoints and communities

As described in the draft, the route would connect Los Angeles Union Station with the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center using an existing rail corridor that already carries passenger trains and freight services. The alignment runs through Los Angeles, Vernon, Commerce, Bell, Montebello, Pico Rivera, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, La Mirada, Buena Park, Fullerton and Anaheim, and also includes parts of unincorporated Los Angeles County.

Southern California Regional Director LaDonna DiCamillo said the release marks an important milestone toward full environmental clearance for Phase I of the statewide 494-mile system between the Bay Area and Los Angeles/Anaheim, and pointed to its role in connecting Southern California and Northern California.

Alternatives, maintenance facility sites and a possible intermediate station

The draft EIR/EIS sets out three options: a No Project Alternative and two build options. Both build alternatives would use shared passenger tracks; the key difference is the location of a proposed light maintenance facility. Alternative A places the facility at 26th Street, while Alternative B proposes a site at 15th Street. The Authority has identified Shared Passenger Track Alternative A as its preferred option, and the same outline is reflected in coverage from Railway Supply.

Beyond that, the Draft EIR/EIS considers—without formally folding it into the preferred alternative—the possibility of one intermediate high-speed rail station. This would involve adding new platforms and facilities at either the Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs Metrolink Station or the Fullerton Metrolink and Amtrak Station.

Public feedback submitted during the consultation period will be reviewed by the Authority and used to inform the next decisions as the project moves toward environmental approval and potential construction.

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