CHSRA issues request for proposals for high-speed rail project
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has issued a $3.5 billion request for proposals for the California high-speed rail project. The authority says the procurement marks a major acceleration towards track installation next year.
“Bringing this contract to market today is a major milestone of our new delivery strategy: building faster, smarter and more economically," said CHSRA CEO Ian Choudri. "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.”
According to the authority, the track and systems construction contract will deliver the systems that turn the civil works under construction into a functioning high-speed rail line. Covering track, overhead contact system, train control, communications and the testing and safety certification needed for service, the contract spans the 119 miles under construction to the Merced and Bakersfield, Calif., extensions. Structured into nine separate packages with phased notices to proceed, it allows work to move forward section by section as civil construction is completed.
The authority has completed track installation at its 150-acre railhead facility in Kern County, Calif. The facility is positioned at the southernmost end of the Central Valley segment and functions as the logistical hub for high-speed rail materials, allowing freight trains to deliver track and systems construction materials directly to the point of installation along the initial 119-mile alignment. According to the authority, with the railhead soon ready to begin receiving shipments, the project is positioned to move rapidly into systems installation along the 119-mile corridor once the track and systems contract is awarded.
CHSRA notes more than 70 miles of guideway for the project are complete, along with nearly 60 fully completed major structures and 30 more structures underway across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties. The project continues to advance statewide, with 463 miles of the 494-mile San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim system fully environmentally cleared and construction ready.