Salinas, CA
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: San Jose, CA (47.9 mi).
About Salinas
Salinas is a city in and the county seat of Monterey County, California, United States. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area located along the eastern limits of the Monterey Bay Area, lying just south of the San Francisco Bay Area and 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River.
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 terminal (range $1–2B) | $1.5B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.5× on $200M base | $300M |
| Track: Salinas → San Jose | 47.9 mi × $500M/mi | $24.0B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $30M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $25.8B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
the Salinas Intermodal Transportation Center district. The intermodal center downtown already handles Amtrak Coast Starlight and regional buses, and the planned Monterey County rail extension will bring commuter trains here too. The rail corridor through downtown Salinas offers a workable alignment with room to expand. It anchors the entire Salinas Valley agricultural and logistics workforce.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Prunedale — unincorporated community on US-101 midway, the natural halfway stop.
- Gilroy — the 'Garlic Capital' at the 101/152 junction, with a commuter catchment for all of South County.
- Morgan Hill — growing South Bay suburb on the 101 corridor.
- San Martin — small farm town between Morgan Hill and Gilroy.