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Dive brief:
- California High Speed Rail Authority issues request for qualifications for $2.4 billion civil work collaborative design-build contract focused on the Merced to Madera portion of the project, according to a June 25 news release.
- The scope of the contract covers major civil works along the 34-mile segment, including grade, structure and road improvements, according to the release. Following the RFQ, the authority will issue a procurement request later this summer and plans to select two teams for the work in late 2026.
- “Providing an operational Central Valley segment is a key step in ultimately connecting California’s major population centers to the north and south,” Ian Choudri, the authority’s CEO, said in the statement. “As we prepare to begin track installation later this year and launch the next phase of construction, Californians will begin to see the system take shape.”
Diving knowledge:
The Merced to Madera segment of the California High Speed Rail route is a branch of the planned main line between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The spur route is slated to continue north from Merced to extend the rail network deeper into California’s Central Valley, with a planned terminus in Sacramento.
With its projected cost rising from an original estimate of $45 billion in 2008 to $231 billion today, the authority has prioritized getting part of the Central Valley segment up and running before building the broader project.
In early June, he approved a Kiewit Stacey Witbeck Herzog JV for $3.5 billion119-mile stretch, which will help span part of the 171-mile distance between Bakersfield in the south and Merced inland.
The announcement of the RFQ also follows the formation of a public-private partnership with Momentum Alliance Partnersa consortium of companies including Dallas-based contractor Jacobs, Spanish engineering firm Sener and London-based urban mobility planner Steer. The authority executed its agreement move forward with the collaboration earlier this month, according to a June 24 press release.
In addition to the RFQ for the Merced-to-Madera segment, the authority also said it had received an update to secure clean energy for the project, which complements the co-development agreement with Momentum Alliance Partners. Under the clean energy application, a public-private partner will spend six months identifying potential clean energy concepts and commercialization at no cost to the authority, according to the release.
The authority expects qualification statements for the clean energy aspect this summer and plans to select a partner in August. Their goal is to have an initial agreement to identify the project in September, according to the statement.
According to the release, the major construction of the Merced to Madera spur that is the subject of the recent RFQ is expected to begin at the end of 2027, with a goal of completion in 2030.
