Transit Board OKs Study of Rail Project

A proposed urban rail system for Orange County, estimated to cost more than $1 billion, now has a name, several possible routes and a couple dozen proposed stops.

If it is built, the so-called Center Line would connect destination spots from downtown Fullerton to the Irvine Spectrum beginning as early as 2008.

Transportation officials this week got a closer look at what an urban rail route in still largely suburban Orange County might look like--nearly 30 miles of track connecting six cities and 26 or so stations along the way.

The question remains whether such a rail system will ever become a reality, but Monday’s vote by transportation board members to go forward with an environmental impact study of the tentative routes keeps the process moving forward.

“This starts one of the most important chapters in the whole thing,” said John Standiford, a spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority. “In December the board has to make a decision and to make that decision they need all the information they can get.”

A vote on the rail project is scheduled for the end of the year. If the project goes ahead, construction could start as soon as 2003. It is scheduled to be funded largely through state and federal funds.