By Mary Slosson
SACRAMENTO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A judge on Friday denied a
legal bid by farmers seeking to stall construction of the
initial segment of California's $68 billion high-speed rail
project in the state's agricultural heartland.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley
denied a preliminary injunction motion filed by farmers who said
they would be adversely affected by construction of the
ambitious rail project.
"The judge's decision ensures that we can continue to move
forward with our preparatory work to build the first segment of
high-speed rail in the Central Valley," the chairman of the
California High-Speed Rail Authority's board of directors, Dan
Richard, said in a statement.
Construction of the initial segment is expected to begin in
the summer of 2013, Richard added.
California's bullet train network, expected to take decades
to complete, would eventually connect Sacramento and San
Francisco to Los Angeles, with stops along the 800-mile
(1300-km) system.
Farmers' unions have decried the project, the most ambitious
public works endeavor in California, as an "imminent threat" to
some of the most agriculturally productive land in the United
States.
Federal authorities approved a 65-mile (104 km) section of
track through the state's central agricultural heartland, from
Merced to Fresno, after environmental and engineering reviews
were completed earlier this year.