SACRAMENTO — The California High-Speed Rail Authority has taken the next step in purchase of its first trainsets, with the authority’s board approving a Request for Proposals earlier this week for the first equipment that will operate on the line in the state’s Central Valley.
Approval of the request means the Authority will solicit proposals from Alstom Transportation and Siemens Mobility, who were prequalified based on the Request for Qualifications released last year [see “Alstom, Siemens named as potential suppliers …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 6, 2024].
Proposals are due this fall, with the goal of selection and signing of a contract by the end of this year. The contract calls for two prototype trainsets to be delivered for testing by 2028 and four trainsets for use on the “early operating segment” between Merced and Bakersfield, Calif., to be ready between 2030 and 2033. The trainsets are to be capable of traveling at 220 mph in regular service. They must be built in the U.S. under terms of the federal grant to fund their purchase [see “California high speed project to receive $3.1 billion …,” News Wire, Dec. 6, 2023]. More complete details of the Request for Proposals are available here.
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