California Construction News staff writer
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) has launched one of the largest rail infrastructure procurements in U.S. history, issuing a $3.5-billion Request for Proposals (RFP) to deliver the first true high-speed rail track and systems in the country. The contract was approved last week by the authority’s Board of Directors and represents a major step toward track installation in California’s Central Valley next year.
“Bringing this contract to market today is a major milestone of our new delivery strategy: building faster, smarter, and more economically,” said Ian Choudri, the authority’s new CEO. “Together with our innovative direct purchases of track and systems materials, this action puts us on an accelerated path to laying the first true high-speed rail track in the Western Hemisphere next year.”
The Track and Systems Construction Contract will cover the systems that convert ongoing civil construction into a functioning high-speed rail line. This includes track, overhead contact systems, train control, communications, and the testing and safety certifications needed for operations. The 119-mile contract, covering the Merced and Bakersfield extensions, is divided into nine separate packages with phased notices to proceed, allowing work to progress section by section as construction is completed.
The announcement follows the completion of track installation at the Authority’s 150-acre railhead facility in Kern County, the southernmost point of the Central Valley segment. The facility serves as a logistical hub, enabling freight trains to deliver materials directly to installation sites along the 119-mile corridor. With the railhead soon ready to receive shipments, systems installation is expected to move quickly once the contract is awarded.
High-speed rail construction is well underway across the Central Valley, with 171 miles currently under design or construction between Merced and Bakersfield. More than 70 miles of guideway and nearly 60 major structures are complete, with 30 additional structures under construction in Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties.
Statewide, 463 miles of the planned 494-mile San Francisco-to-Los Angeles/Anaheim system are fully environmentally cleared and ready for construction. Since groundbreaking, the project has generated over 16,100 jobs, most of them filled by Central Valley residents, with up to 1,700 workers reporting to construction sites daily.
The article fails to mention that this project has been under construction for more than 10 years, is now projected to exceed its initial budget by three to four times (billions and billions), and has resulted in countless landowners losing their property through eminent domain.