CALIFORNIA High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has started tendering a contract worth up to $US 3.5bn to undertake tracklaying and supply railway systems for the high-speed line under construction in the Central Valley. CHSRA issued a request for proposals (RFP) from bidders on November 26.
Following a pre-bid conference and a workshop for small businesses that will be held in Sacramento on December 19, proposals are due to be submitted by March 2 2026.
The Track and Systems Construction Contract (TSCC) includes the supply of rail systems including overhead electrification, traction power supply, signalling and train control, and communications including radio, fibre optic and CCTV systems.
CHSRA says the contract will cover the 190.4km currently under construction, plus the extensions to Merced and Bakersfield that will complete the Central Valley Section (CVS). The contract will comprise nine separate packages with phased notices to proceed, enabling tracklaying and systems installation to move forward section by section as civil engineering work is completed.
The preferred bidder will be responsible for detailed design, with the exception of track and the overhead electrification system where CHSRA has awarded a separate contract for this work. The contract also includes all integration testing and commissioning.
Tracklaying materials, including rail, sleepers and ballast, will be supplied by CHSRA, as well as masts and other electrification components including contact wire. Fibre optic cable will also be supplied.
CHSRA says that this hybrid delivery model will incorporate managing cost and schedule, as well as “partnering, collaboration, in-depth communication, motivation for innovation, and progressive project development of construction packages.”
With tracklaying completed at its construction base in Kern County at the southern end of the CVS, CHSRA says that the new facility will soon be ready to receive track and other materials by rail. This will enable the project to move rapidly into systems installation once the contract is awarded.
“Bringing this contract to market today is a major milestone of our new delivery strategy: building faster, smarter, and more economically,” says CHSRA CEO, Ian Choudri.
An in-depth interview with Ian Choudri will appear in the December issue of IRJ.
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