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City Administration (209)-385-6834 www.cityofmerced.org February 2, 2026
Mr. Thomas Richards
Board Chair
California High-Speed Rail Authority
770 L Street, Suite 620
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mr. Ian Choudri
Chief Executive Officer
California High-Speed Rail Authority
770 L Street, Suite 620
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: City of Merced - Conceptual Consideration of Station Relocation Dear Honorable Board Chair Richards and Mr. Choudri:
On behalf of the City of Merced, thank you for your continued engagement with our region as we work together to deliver a transformative statewide High-Speed Rail system. As a result of our mutual desired goal of ensuring the successful buildout of a High-Speed Rail system that includes in its first phase a station location in Merced, I am writing to express the City's support in a collaborative review of the concept of moving the Merced High Speed Rail Station to southeast Merced. As you consider a potential shift to a site in southeast Merced, I look forward to continuing our dialogue and partnership that we have established over the past decade to ensure a comprehensive, thorough, transparent, and collaborative evaluation of this alternative, including its consideration for inclusion in the upcoming draft business plan.
We recognize station siting involves difficult tradeoffs among system performance, constructability, long-term operations, environmental considerations, community access, and regional economic impacts. A thorough review can help determine whether the changed location better advances your goals while delivering clear and measurable benefits to the Merced region. The southern Merced County site warrants analysis particularly given impacts including but not limited to infrastructure, utilities, and City services and potential advantages related to land availability, construction logistics, multimodal connectivity, and access for residents across the county and surrounding communities.
The City emphasizes that any station location should promote equitable access, support sustainable economic development, and integrate existing and planned transportation networks and local land-use priorities. We appreciate the Authority's ongoing communication and encourage continued coordination with Merced County, the City of Merced, and regional partners as this evaluation moves forward. The City stands ready 678 We st 18t h Street Me rced , CA 953 40
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Richards/Choudri
CHSRA
February 2, 2026
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to work in partnership with the Authority to support a data-driven process and identify solutions that maximize regional benefits in a timely manner.
Thank you for your leadership and continued work to advance a high-speed rail system that will serve Californians for generations. We look forward to a continued relationship and dialogue to help assist you in completing this transformative high-speed rail project in a manner that maximizes the benefits and vision for the Merced region.
I am available at 209-385-6834 should you want to discuss this matter further.
Sincerely,
/4,t(� Scott McBride
City Manager
City of Merced
Cc: Adam Gray, U.S. Representative, CA 13th District
Anna Caballero, State Senator, District 14
Esmeralda Soria, State Assemblymember, District 27
Mark Tollefson, HSRA
Peter Whippy, HSRA
Diana Gomez, HTNB
Ben Lichty, HSRA
Craig Cornwell, City of Merced
Frank Quintero, City of Merced
Sharon Gonsalves, CPPG
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678 WEST 18TH STREET, MERCED, CA 95340