The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) released a $3.5 billion Request for Proposals (RFP) that will deliver the first actual high-speed rail track and systems ever built in the US. 

Recently approved by the Authority’s board, this procurement marks a significant acceleration toward track installation next year in California’s Central Valley and toward advancing the country’s first high-speed rail system toward operations.

California’s High Speed RFP

The Track and Systems Construction Contract will deliver the systems that turn the civil works under construction today into a functioning high-speed rail line. The contract covers track, overhead contact system, train control, communications, and the testing and safety certification needed for service, from the 119 miles under construction today to the Merced and Bakersfield 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, creating a clear, efficient path from construction to operations.

The action comes as the Authority has completed track installation at its 150-acre railhead facility in Kern County. Positioned at the southernmost end of the Central Valley segment, the facility serves as the logistics hub for high-speed rail materials, allowing freight trains to deliver track and system construction materials directly to the installation sites along the initial 119-mile alignment. 

With the railhead soon ready to begin receiving shipments, the Authority is positioned to rush into systems installation along the 119-mile corridor once the Track and Systems Contract is awarded.

High-Speed Rail Progress

Work continues daily on the high-speed rail project, with 171 miles currently under design and construction from Merced to Bakersfield. More than 70 miles of guideway are complete, along with nearly 60 major structures fully completed and 30 more structures underway across Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties.

The project continues to advance statewide, with 463 of the 494 miles of the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles/Anaheim system fully environmentally cleared and construction-ready.

Since construction began, the project has created more than 16,100 good-paying jobs — most filled by Central Valley residents. Up to 1,700 workers report to high-speed rail construction sites each day.