LOS ANGELES — The first of five community meetings the California High-Speed Rail Authority has planned on its Los Angeles-to-Anaheim section gave Southern California residents insight Thursday, March 30, ahead of an environmental report later this year.

The section, running about 30 miles from Los Angeles Union Station to the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center along the existing Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo rail corridor, is slated for passenger service in 2029.

Rail authority staff provided about 30 people at the open house at the Southern California Institute of Architecture with an update on refinements to the section since a preliminary environmental study last April.

“It really is a needed alternative with all our existing infrastructure being maxed out,” said Melissa de la Peña, project manager. “It’s an all-electric rail line, so it helps to address our air quality issues and because this is technology that we don’t currently have here, (and) it will spur job growth across the state as well.”

The staff-recommended alignment features two electrified tracks for the bullet train and up to three main line tracks within the existing rail corridor that would be used by other passenger and freight trains.

The designs were refined to accommodate the shared corridor with other trains, keeping the high-speed rail within the existing railroad right-of-way to the greatest extent possible and minimizing potential impacts on adjacent properties, de la Peña said.

“There is enough room so that we can add track onto the existing corridor … as we move through the environmental document,” she said.

Staff also discussed 11 new grade separation projects aimed at improving safety and efficiency in the corridor for riders, motorists and pedestrians. The open house allowed attendees to use interactive maps to zero in on below-grade, elevated and surface-level sections of the train throughout the entire proposed alignment.

Los Angeles resident Tom Williams, a retired environmental specialist for Parsons Corporation, said he was fully supportive of the bullet train concept but “this ain’t the way to do it.”

“High-speed means over 200 miles per hour,” Williams said, advocating for underground tracks from Fullerton to Anaheim. “New York City’s Grand Central station – tell me where you see trains. You don’t see trains.”

Harry Boxler, environmental manager for the section, said staff will continue to refine the alignment.

“It’s a very iterative process between the environmental process and what engineers do to ensure that the best project moves forward,” he said.

Rowland Heights resident Jin Yan, who attended with her young son, expressed concern over impacts to people living along the railway, but said the train would benefit the next generation.

“At first we thought it was just a bubble dream,” she said, “but it’s very exciting that it’s coming true.”

Fares are estimated to average $89 from San Francisco to Los Angeles or Anaheim and $30 for a trip from Los Angeles to Anaheim, based on the authority’s 2016 business plan in 2015 dollars. The final environmental impact report for the section is expected in mid-2018.

For Los Angeles resident Freddie Hanns, 64, who owns H&F Constructors and for years has been bidding for work with the rail authority, the meeting was a “reality check.”

“I’m questionable right now if they’ll ever complete this and in this time frame. It’s moving a lot slower than they said,” Hanns said. “I put all this time in it, so I guess I’ll keep attending these events and hopefully something positive will come out of it.”

Four more community meetings will take place in Santa Fe Springs, Buena Park, Anaheim and Montebello from April 4 to 8. For information, go to hsr.ca.gov.