SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California High Speed Rail Authority this week issued a Request For Proposals for the contract to build track and related systems for the 119-mile first segment of the project, between Merced and Bakersfield.
The $3.5 billion contract will be one of the nation’s largest for rail infrastructure. Proposals from interested companies are due March 2, 2026; more details are on the RFP are available here. Along with track construction, the project will include the catenary electrical system, train control, and communications system.
“Bringing this contract to market today is a major milestone of our new delivery strategy: building faster, smarter, and more economically,” Authority CEO Ian Choudri said in a Nov. 26 press release. “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 RFP was announced as the authority completed track installation at a 150-acre railhead facility in Kern County, which will serve as the logistics hub for the project and will soon began receiving shipments of track and other construction materials. From there, those materials will be delivered to the points of installation along the initial segment. Groundbreaking on that facility was held in January [see “Ceremony marks start …,” Trains.com, Jan. 7, 2025].
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