Words by Scott Jason

Merced might soon be known as a “Gateway to Anywhere.”

The city’s slogan, “Gateway to Yosemite,” could easily be rewritten if the it succeeds in becoming one of the initial stops along California’s high-speed rail system, which in phases will connect the Bay Area and Central, Northern and Southern California. The bullet train will speed through the Valley at 220 mph.

Until the Sacramento station is built, Merced could be the most northern stop on the tracks, drawing commuters and travelers from Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto. From Merced, people would be able to go to Southern California, the Bay Area and eventually Sacramento.

While the city is positioned to have a station, the county is working to secure at Castle Commerce Center the sought-after heavy maintenance facility, which would bring investment and jobs. The facility would serve as the maintenance hub for the 800-mile system. High-speed rail is estimated to cost $45 billion to build.
For downtown Merced, there probably hasn’t been a project since the railroad first came to town to hold so much potential for jobs, economic development and residential growth. UC Merced will reshape Merced, but it remains to be seen what long-term impact it will have on downtown. Most of the growth pressure will remain north of Yosemite Avenue as the university and city grow toward each other.

The rail system could prove to be the single-strongest driving force in revitalizing Merced’s downtown. Establishing such a transportation hub will draw people from the surrounding areas while also allowing people here to get to San Jose in about 40 minutes and to Southern California in less than two hours.

“High-speed rail is a catalyst for new urbanism in Merced,” said Forrest Hansen, an attorney and member of the Greater Merced High-Speed Rail Committee. “Merced is still a real small town and we can keep it like that. We can build up in the middle and sparse on the outskirts.”

Hansen lived downtown in the Merced Lofts and was able to walk in the morning to Starbucks for coffee before heading to work. He said the station will be vital in encouraging more housing options like that in Merced and keep the city from sprawling.

With the Central Valley poised for rapid growth in the coming decades, Merced has the chance to make itself one of the premier areas, both because of the UC campus and because of the high-speed rail station, Hansen said.

“Merced has an opportunity to be known as the progressive city in the Valley,” he noted. “And that wouldn’t be bad for us. It’d be good for us.”

In the past two years, the high-speed rail went from seeming unlikely to nearing reality. Voters last year approved a $10 billion bond measure written by Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) to finance a portion of the project. That support helped the state win $2.25 billion in federal economic stimulus funding to push the project along.

Many decisions about the details of the project, including where exactly to build stations, will be made soon. The federal funding requires construction to begin in 2012. People may be able to buy a ticket and board the train in 2018.

“It’s going to come faster than you think,” Assistant City Manager Bill Cahill said. “It’s a pretty aggressive timeline.”

Locally, much of the discussion and lobbying has been centered on securing the maintenance facility. That’s soon going to change as attention is put on the station.

An open house about the plans will held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20 at the Merced Senior Center.
Metaphorically and literally, high-speed rail will be a giant force downtown.

Planners working for the state are looking at establishing a station either near the Welcome Center on 16th Street or up near the Amtrak station on 24th Street. The downtown station is favored.

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