Last day for public comment on proposed railway to connect Coachella Valley with Los Angeles

Public comment ends July 6 for the proposed Coachella Valley Rail. The rail would stretch across about 144 miles between downtown Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley. It would connect desert communities and attractions with Los Angeles and its surrounding cities.

Grandma Angie started taking her 5-year old granddaughter from L.A. to Palm Springs around 1969.

“I fell in love with the desert and knew that I wanted to live out here forever. But I lived in L.A.; she lived in Downey," said granddaughter and owner of Escape Room Palm Springs, Dominique Fruchtman. "And it was a back and forth trek all the time.”

Even though grandma Angie passed away in 1999, Fruchtman said the Coachella Valley Rail could’ve helped her. Grandma Angie suffered from polio as a child and was forced to have her right leg fused.

“Her right leg was the one that was paralyzed," said Fruchtman. "So she had to drive with her left foot reaching over.”

The Riverside County Transportation Commission gave people until July 6 to comment on the rail project.

“If she were alive now, I think she'd be up there pounding the desk," said Fruchtman. "If they would give her one- if they would give her a podium, she'd pound on it and say, 'Come on, do this. It's way past time. It's decades past time.'”

RCTC said they would review all public comments.

“She had a little snark," said Fruchtman. "She'd probably say something- 'Well, it's about time they did something proper with our tax dollars.”

Fruchtman says some don’t have a car or the means to uber. She also considers the environment.

“Let's give them the means so they can spend money here and help build our economy out here in the valley," said Fruchtman. "With the amount of traffic that there is already, imagine how much emissions it would save.”

Even though it’s almost 50 years later, Rancho Mirage resident, Beth Peerce, shares a similar story with grandma Angie.

“We drive into Los Angeles a great deal because we have our children there. And we have doctors there, we have everything there," said Peerce. "You can get off at the train station, you can uber, or maybe one of- if you're lucky enough, one of your kids will even pick you up.”

RCTC said they plan to run two trips daily. Each trip is estimated at around 3 hours and 15 minutes.

“I think it would bring tourism to the desert, many more people than you have now. I think it would make it a focal point of people in Los Angeles, plus anyone who flies into la from all over the united states," said Peerce.

The rail ultimately giving people an alternative way to travel.

“I wonder how many grandma Angie's there are out there that the train can help get out here," said Fruchtman.

The public is encouraged to comment on the many studies examining the railway’s impact. The studies looked at everything from land use and climate change to safety.

The Riverside County Transportation Commission is working with the California Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration to bring the project to life.

Click here to share public comments and find out more about the project.