California Construction News staff writer
The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors has approved issuing a Request for Qualifications for the Merced to Madera civil works contract, marking a major step toward expanding active construction on the state’s high-speed rail system. The procurement will support the next phase of development in the Central Valley, with track installation scheduled to begin later this year.
According to the Authority, about 171 miles of the rail corridor are currently under design and construction from Merced to Bakersfield, with more than 80 miles of guideway completed and 61 major structures finished. An additional 30 structures are under construction across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.
About 463 miles of the 494-mile San Francisco-to-Los Angeles/Anaheim system have now cleared environmental review and are construction-ready. The project has generated about 19,200 jobs since construction began.
The Merced–Madera contract will cover large-scale civil works, including grading, structure construction and roadway improvements. The Authority said the project advances expansion north from the current construction corridor and builds on 119 miles of work already underway. The estimated contract value is approximately $2.4 billion.
The solicitation is expected to be issued this summer. Two teams will be shortlisted by the end of 2026, with early collaboration beginning shortly afterward. Major construction is anticipated from late 2027 through 2030 under a collaborative design-build process intended to improve cost certainty and reduce project risk.
“With this action, we’re accelerating the work needed to bring clean, electrified high-speed rail to more of the people of California,” said Authority CEO Ian Choudri.
The Board also advanced a separate initiative, the Cal CLEAN Partnership Agreement, a public-private effort aimed at securing long-term clean energy resources for future rail operations and identifying ways to maximize value from Authority-owned infrastructure. Under the plan, a selected partner would evaluate potential energy and commercialization concepts over a six-month exploratory phase at no cost to the state.
Statements of qualifications for the energy partnership are expected this summer, with a recommended partner to be announced in August and an initial agreement released in September.
