The California High-Speed Rail Authority moved one step closer to operating the nation’s first high-speed rail system as it issued a $3.5 billion Request for Proposal to build the rail track and systems next year.
Just days after the Authority’s Board of Directors approved a track and system construction contract procurement, the Authority issued an RFP that will officially solicit bids from qualified vendors. The RFP is a major acceleration toward track installation in the state’s Central Valley next year, officials said.
“Bringing this contract to market today is a major milestone of our new delivery strategy: building faster, smarter, and more economically. 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,” Ian Choudri, Authority CEO, said.
The Track and Systems Construction Contract will deliver the systems that turn the construction happening now into a functioning high-speed rail line, the Authority said. The contract covers track, overhead contact system, train control, communications and the testing and safety certification needed for the 119 miles of track under construction between Merced and Bakersfield. The contract is structured into nine separate packages with phased beginnings, which allows work to move forward section by section as civil construction is completed.
The Authority said it is positioned to move forward to systems installation and that the railhead will soon be ready to begin receiving shipments.