LOS ANGELES —  Voters narrowly approved a long-delayed plan to build a bullet train system throughout California, approving a $10 billion bond to build the system's first phase.

The decision allows work to start on an 800-mile rail system that will feature trains capable of topping 200 mph. It is the most ambitious rail project undertaken by any state.

The rail line would link Anaheim, Los Angeles, Fresno and San Francisco. Planners eventually want to include Sacramento, San Diego and Oakland.

The measure won even as California voters rejected most other initiatives with large price tags. Backers sold the proposal as an alternative to soaring airfares and long airport waits.

It had been on the ballot twice before but was removed both times by the Legislature.