California Construction News staff writer
An AECOM joint venture has been selected by the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CaHSRA) to provide program management for the nation’s first electrified high-speed rail line.
The line is currently under active construction and advanced design in California along 171 miles between the cities of Merced and Bakersfield. To date, construction has created more than 9,000 labor jobs.
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“We look forward to working with the Authority to help deliver this important investment that is poised to be one of the most transformative infrastructure programs in U.S. history,” AECOM president Lara Poloni said in a statement. “The California High-Speed Rail program is world-class, epitomizing the positive impacts we’re generating through our Sustainable Legacies strategy.
“The program’s foundational environmental and social purpose will help drive sustainable mobility across the state while providing a safer, more reliable option that meets California’s twenty-first-century transportation needs.”
Work will include program planning and strategy; environmental and engineering management; infrastructure delivery; supply chain management; and federal and state funding support.
“The Authority is not just advancing a major rail project but creating a new way of travel in the US that is faster, more convenient and more sustainable,” said Jennifer Aument, chief executive of AECOM’s global Transportation business. “Driving that change is hard work, and we are committed to working every day to support the Authority in making this transformational program a reality.
“Our approach is to couple our leading, global expertise in delivering complex high-speed rail programs with a local team with deep roots in and a strong commitment to California communities.”
When complete, California High-Speed Rail will connect the 500-mile stretch between Los Angeles and San Francisco in less than three hours, The high-speed rail system is expected to expand access to job opportunities, contribute to a cleaner environment, reduce traffic and air congestion, improve the state’s transportation system resiliency, and preserve agricultural and protected lands.
