California High Speed Rail Station Planning
Project Description
Mark Leese, while with another firm, provided station planning services to the California High Speed Rail Authority which is designing a high speed rail facility from Sacramento to San Diego. The tracks will be elevated in most areas, with platforms ranging from 20 to 60 feet above the surrounding neighborhoods in order to avoid conflicts with numerous existing streets, highways, and railroads. Surrounding neighborhoods will be significantly impacted in terms of traffic, parking, and visual character.
Each station is envisioned as an intermodal hub with connections to existing and proposed bike trails, light rail systems, air travel, and bus service. These were studied along with land use plans for potential opportunity for higher density development near the stations.
Mark Leese’s Role
Mark Leese was station planner and urban designer for two teams working on different segments of the high-speed rail corridor. Mark developed station development concepts for six station areas, including numerous alignment and profile variations at each station area. Mark worked with each local jurisdiction on placement of the stations and on understanding the impacts to the communities and ways in which the impacts can be mitigated, as part of the EIR/EIS submittal.
