Burbank airport sits in the path of California’s bullet train, so a tunnel is in the works

The complexity of building a bullet train through Southern California’s urban maze is leading state officials to consider two major additions: a tunnel under the Burbank airport and a project that would help a freight railroad expand its switching yards in the Inland Empire. In a September review of its Central Valley work, obtained by The Times and marked “confidential,” the rail authority listed the Burbank airport station as a program risk that could delay the completion of environmental reports by three to six months. The consideration of a tunnel under the Burbank airport could help the rail authority comply with speed and trip time requirements set in state law. The rail authority said in a statement that the 2018 decision to use the Highway 14 route included an option for an underground station at the Burbank airport. “As the environmental documents in the north and the south continue to be finalized, we will continue analysis and refinements required to ensure that high-speed rail meets them.” The bullet train was originally envisioned to run at 220 miles per hour along nearly its entire passage, but over the last decade, a series of compromises with local communities and design changes to save money have created slower sections.