BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Weeks after it appeared high speed rail would not make its start in Bakersfield, that may be changing.

New federal money given to the state on Thursday will require the initial leg of the project to add Bakersfield to the route. That's according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.

The High Speed Rail Authority announced Dec. 2nd that it would run 54 miles of track from Borden, north of Fresno to Corcoran. However, an additional $616 million dollars, turned down by other states, will now go to the HSRA to extend the initial leg south toward Bakersfield

That $616 million will be matched by state transportation funds to bring more than $1.2 billion to extend the original line.

County officials were happy to learn of the news, saying that any construction in the county, although it remains a few years away, will be helpful.

"We're happy that the first segment will be constructed in Kern County," said Teresa Hitchcock, an analyst for the County Administrative Office. "We believe that will be a huge benefit to the county and that we should see some significant job creation from it which we badly need right now"

But, it is not clear as of yet how far south the $1.2 billion will extend the tracks from Corcoran. HSR engineers are trying to figure how many miles that money will pay for, as it might not be enough to reach downtown Bakersfield where a station will be constructed.

"Until we get the engineering for the segment, we're not sure how far south the money will get them," Hitchcock said.

Rachel Wall of the High-Speed Rail Authority confirmed that the Authority Board will vote on whether to extend the initial segment south on Monday Dec. 20. Later that week engineers will be able to give a more precise location of the southern end of the segment.

Part of the reason why Bakersfield was originally left out of the initial segment was because the section between Corcoran and Borden is the most expensive in the Central Valley. The original amount of money covered that portion, which is more expensive because most all of the track is elevated through Fresno. But there wasn't enough money to extend the route further south until this new money came in on Thursday.

The latest round of funding was made available after the U.S. Department of Transportation redirected $1.195 billion in high-speed rail funds originally designated for Wisconsin and Ohio to projects across the country.

“Californians at the local, state and federal level came together to fight for these unused funds and I am pleased that the administration delivered,” said Rep. Jim Costa. “This funding should allow the authority to extend the Fresno segment and allow us to connect two major cities sooner than initially expected. In the short-term, this will mean more jobs and economic activity. Over the long-term, these funds increase our momentum as we build a statewide system.”

Construction on the project must begin by 2012. The goal for the entire project to be operational is 2020.