
FRESNO, Calif. — Despite federal funding uncertainty, California High-Speed Rail Authority officials say they “remain committed and aggressive in moving this historic project forward while actively pursuing additional funding.”
The authority made that assertion in a statement to Trains News Wire following a board of directors meeting Thursday (Jan. 23, 2025) at the authority’s Fresno headquarters.The organization says it continues to “engage with the California Legislature about opportunities to improve our ability to deliver this transformative work.”
Also on tap this year is trainset procurement. The authority “expects to issue notice of proposed award this spring, with anticipated contract execution and Notice to Proceed happening as soon as this summer,” the statement says.
Last year, the authority’s board of directors approved issuance of a Request for Proposals for a supply-maintain contract for trainsets, a driving simulator, and related services. Alstom Transportation and Siemens Mobility were pre-qualified as candidates [see “California High-Speed Rail board approves …,” News Wire, April 13, 2024].
Ian Choudri, the recently installed authority CEO, told the board the authority is looking to connect with Brightline West through the High Desert Corridor between Palmdale and Victor Valley. “We are working to take the benefit of (common) standards and types of construction we will be doing. Especially with the High Desert Corridor, we are discussing how we can help them and optimize the cost to taxpayers,” he says.

Earlier this month, the organization announced the beginning of its railhead project in Kern County [see “Ceremony marks start of track laying …,” News Wire, Jan. 7, 2025]. Choudri says a track contractor will be selected by the second quarter of 2026, when the transloading yard adjacent to BNSF Railway tracks at Merced Avenue south of Wasco, Calif., will be complete. Clearing of an almond grove on the site is just beginning.
The highlight of the session was a 2024 Economic Impact Analysis in which the authority’s Derek Boughton documented how the project has generated 1,034,000 job-years (five job-years can be five people working for one year or one person working for five years), $86.3 billion in labor income, and $221.8 billion in economic output.
There are currently close to 30 active construction sites. By the end of 2025, all 100 structures eliminating 55 at-grade rail crossings on the four Central Valley construction packages between Madera, Calif., and the site of the railyard south of Wasco will be well underway or complete.

Yes and yeah of course California High-Speed Rail in California.
I always want California High-Speed Rail in California and I always love California High-Speed Rail in California.
Newsom is in trouble now when Trump stopped in California he laid down the law. Newsom has a deadline of third quarter 2025 to have this line operational that is a must meet deadline. The Northern end of track needs to connect to the rail yard in Stockton which is on Union Pacific rails this is so train sets from the factory over in Sacramento can automatically replace on the corridor for testing hours after they are built. The southern end needs to reach Bakersfield that way they can start bringing in TBM to drill the tunnels. The end year goal is the northern section complete and operational and newsome starts drilling the tunnels in the tehachapi mountains if California high speed rail is not to Bakersfield by the end of the year Trump is going to kill the project and Brightline is not going to reach Los Angeles by the games. We cannot let that happen both lines the line from Vegas and the line from Sacramento must meet. The main goal is that both lines must meet in Palmdale that is the goal. If both lines can reach Palmdale Metrolink can extend their line from Palmdale to the station at Rancho which is the current end of track. Except nobody is going to Rancho until both lines are complete. California High Speed Rail and Brightline you have a deadline you must reach the halfway point of both of your routes. Brightline your route needs to be to Kelso by third quarter and California high Speed Rail your section needs to get from Sacramento to Bakersfield. If a single rail is not laid and there are no trains and empty viaducts Trump is going to cancel both projects. We cannot let that happen both need to be finished because we need this route restored. The San Joaquin used to run over tehachapi pass Amtrak killed that in 95 it only goes to Bakersfield. The Desert Wind used to go from Vegas to Los Angeles Amtrak killed that in 97 along with the Pioneer. Right now even as we speak Elon Musk is drilling a tunnel from the convention center to the new station and extending it to the airport. Brightline cannot deliver any trains to the corridor until the track is down in California High-Speed Rail has reached Palmdale. Both of you are building the modern-day Transcontinental Railroad this project must be complete or Trump is going to kill it. Get to work both of you!
Key factor in assessing progress. Total amount spent to date divided by the number of miles of operating track today. Gives you (chuckle) cost per mile, does it not?
$50 if the Authority spent money on big-name architects to make their structures aesthetically pleasing, the same voices would be calling for management’s/executives’ heads as a phenomenal waste of money. So which way do you want it? Next time you’re in California, be sure to order some cheese with that!
Several state DOT’s have been able to add more pleasing elements to their bridge designs at 1% or less of the total project cost. Even design/build proposals.
But when I confronted a DOT representative for one state on a new bridge proposal that look generic, cheap and had no aesthetic at all, he too gave me that “my head will roll if we embellish it in the least”. I asked him if they actually put an aesthetic requirement in the RFP for the proposals, and he said no.
I asked why, he said that they tell design/build’s to use national templates for bridge design as it makes validating bids easier and keeps the contractor honest when submitting. Basically so they can compare apples to apples.
So I would assume railroads do something similar, they RFP for a standard template of some kind and then prefer to duplicate it as much as possible across their network to facilitate ease of maintenance.
Based on how many legacy Pennsylvania concrete arch bridges I have seen, it appears they did the same thing and simply updated the design based on the local requirement.
@ Charles: I don’t think the Lackawanna had to design for not only high speeds but for significant seismic risk as well. While I agree that modern bridges have lost their ability for eye pleasing design with a more utilitarian approach, today its mostly about cost.
John, the aesthetically pleasing details for concrete bridges (or retaining walls) that any highway department comes up with fall within a percentage for art, something like 2%.
Since you seem to be a NE Illinois resident (from your posts) Wisconsin IH 94 in Kenosha and Racine Counties isn’t too far from you. Go take a look! Further north the Marquette and Zoo Interchanges in Milwaukee County. Bridges, retaining walls, and noise walls (the last-named termed “sound walls” in many states).
The utilitarian designs were the 1960’s and the 1970’s (ugh). By the 1980’s, highway departments began rediscovering what the Lackawanna Railroad had accomplished many decades earlier.
As for seismic designs, yes, that’s a major California skill Wisconsin doesn’t need, but no, it’s no excuse for ugly.
“Since you seem to be a NE Illinois resident (from your posts)”
I used to be. I rode Metra when I worked in the Loop.
Compare the concrete eyesore in the first photo to the Lackawanna viaducts in a rcent TRAINS issue.
Seems that CalHSR is totally consistent. Everything it touches turns to C*R*A*P. CalHSR is the only builder on the face of the earth that doesn’t know how to make a concrete structure look decent. There are several concrete structure designs (bridges, retaining walls, and viducts) on road and highway projects within a few miles of my home that look just fine.