The California High-Speed Rail Authority has whittled down a list of potential sites for its biggest maintenance facility to two options: A 300-acre space between highways 99 and 41 in south Fresno and an alternative just outside Hanford.
Known as the Heavy Maintenance Facility, the operation is expected to generate a large amount of permanent, specialized jobs. Though multiple types of maintenance facilities are planned, there will be only one heavy maintenance facility on the entire 500-mile Los Angeles-to-San Francisco segment.
LaDonna DiCamillo, the rail authority’s interim planning director, said during Monday’s board meeting that further environmental studies are needed, which will wrap up by next year. If no problems arise, California’s fifth-largest city is the natural choice, said Henry Perea, a rail authority board member from Fresno…