ABSTRACT
California’s proposed high-speed rail (HSR) system is advocated as a sustainable way to increase the state’s intercity transportation capacity, offering a fast, reliable, and convenient travel option that is also environmentally sound. Like any major infrastructure project, however, the system is expected to have significant effects on the natural and built environment. This chapter discusses the environmental impacts that the California HSR system could produce and the strategies that are being proposed to improve its environmental performance.
