The 320km/h line was due to connect San Francisco and Sacramento with Los Angeles and San Diego, but the plans were scaled back by the governor of California, Mr Gavin Newsom, due to spiralling costs and poor oversight. CHSRA says the line will now run from Avenue 19 in Madera to Poplar Road near the city of Shafter, while plans are currently being developed to extend the line by around 60km into Merced and Bakersfield.
The winning bidder will be responsible for the design and construction of track, signalling, automatic and positive train control, platforms and overhead electrification systems and substations, as well as testing and commissioning. The contract will also include 30-years’ maintenance for both the underlying civil works and track and systems, which would include construction of necessary maintenance facilities.
The state has already launched construction in the Central Valley on civil works such as building viaducts and separating roadways from areas for track necessary to prepare for the full high-speed rail system.
The track and system work will be issued through multiple notices to proceed (NTP), ranging from San Francisco to the Central Valley. Companies have until September 5 to submit their statements of qualification.
CHSRA and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) are currently locked in a legal battle after the FRA confirmed on May 16 that it has terminated a 2010 agreement and withdrawn $US 928.6m in grant funding for the Central Valley section.
A consortium led by German Rail (DB) has been awarded a $US 30m “early train operator” contract for the network.
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