VOTERS on the west coast of the United States will now definitely get an opportunity to vote on a proposed high-speed rail system in California in November.

There have been months of dispute between the California State Assembly and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who announced he would not sign any bills until lawmakers approved a spending plan for the fiscal year that began on 1 July.

But now the Governor “has reversed his position and signed a measure for a statewide bullet train system that he strongly supports,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

A spokesman for the governor explained Mr Schwarzenegger had a change of heart because the high-speed rail measure requires voter approval, and the window of opportunity to place it on the November general election ballot was closing fast.

The San Francisco Chronicle says the legislation will replace a $10 billion (£5.4bn) bond measure on the November ballot with a revised version that makes the high-speed train system more appealing to voters statewide.

The legislation adds more specific oversight and spending rules to the plan, which calls for a 700-mile system that allows trains to run between San Francisco and Southern California at speeds of up to 220 mph.

California’s High Speed Rail Authority is now required to complete an updated business plan by 1 October.