Bakersfield, CA
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Visalia, CA (67.7 mi).
About Bakersfield
Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about 151 sq mi (390 km2) near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Mid-size city terminal ($1–2B range) | $1.5B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.5× on $200M base | $300M |
| Track: Bakersfield → Visalia | 67.7 mi × $500M/mi | $33.9B |
| Annual operations (share) | 2% of $1.5B terminal | $30M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $35.6B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
The Truxtun Avenue / Bakersfield Amtrak station district. The existing Amtrak station on Truxtun Avenue already anchors the San Joaquins corridor through the southern valley. Downtown Bakersfield's redevelopment has opened parcels near the tracks, and the flat valley floor makes guideway approaches straightforward. The catchment is Kern County's energy and ag workforce — the county produces most of California's oil and a huge share of its produce.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Delano — table-grape capital on the CA-99 corridor.
- Wasco — rose-growing town north of Bakersfield.
- Shafter — ag town on the CA-43 corridor.