BURBANK, Calif. — The agency that oversees Hollywood Burbank Airport and the California High-Speed Rail Authority have reached an agreement ending a lawsuit by the airport authority over the high speed rail project, the parties announced Thursday, Nov. 16.
The agreement clears the way for construction between Burbank and Los Angeles Union Station, the Rail Authority said in a press release, and “creates the framework for a collaborate process for the High-Speed Rail Authority to build a station with a direct connection to Hollywood Burbank Airport.”
The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority had sued last year, arguing that the planned high speed rail route and nearby underground station could affect airport operations [see “Airport sues over California high speed rail project,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 28, 2022].
The agreement calls for a high speed station to be connected to the planned replacement passenger terminal approved by Burbank voters in 2016. Airport Authority commissioners approved a design for that terminal earlier this year.
“This agreement further reflects our organizations’ understanding that the best way to deliver these services is through collaboration,” High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Brian Kelly said in the press release, while Brank Miller, executive director of Hollywood Burbank Airport, said, ““The Airport Authority appreciates the efforts of the High-Speed Rail Authority in creating a collaborative process which respects the development of the replacement passenger terminal and ongoing airport operations.”
I’m 64. They have 20 years. Start the timer!
Raise your hand if you seriously think CalHSR will finish the Burbank segment during your lifetime. Or for that matter, even start it during your lifetime.