The California High-Speed Rail Authority has approved an American-led consortium to deliver track and systems installation for the state’s high-speed rail programme. This milestone marks a transition from civil engineering works to rail systems installation on the Central Valley alignment.
The consortium, comprising Kiewit, Stacy Witbeck and Herzog, will install electrified track infrastructure, overhead contact systems, signalling, train control and communications equipment across the 119-mile section of guideway currently under construction.
The contract covers work on the Central Valley segment, with planned extensions towards Merced and Bakersfield included through a phased delivery structure. Installation will begin as individual civil construction sections are completed, allowing rail systems work to progress in sequence across the corridor.
The track installation will be supported by a railhead facility in Kern County, which has been completed and will serve as a logistics and staging base for the delivery of rail materials and other components required for installation.
Key materials, including rail and concrete ties, have been procured in advance to support the construction schedule and reduce delays between civil works completion and systems installation.
California High-Speed Rail Authority Chief Executive Ian Choudri said:Bringing on board the team that will build California’s high-speed rail track and systems marks the moment this program transforms from major civil construction into delivering an operating railway. With the railhead track installation complete and many critical rail materials already under contract, we are now accelerating toward installing the first true high-speed rail track ever built in the Western Hemisphere and doing it in a way that delivers for California quickly and economically.
The Track and Systems Construction Contract follows a procurement process launched in late 2025 and is intended to support phased delivery across the Central Valley corridor. The agreement includes requirements for small business participation, including targets for microbusinesses and disabled veteran-owned enterprises.
Around 171 miles of the broader route between Merced and Bakersfield are currently under construction or design. More than 80 miles of guideway have been completed, alongside a series of major structures, with further construction ongoing across multiple counties.
The wider high-speed rail project, which is intended to connect San Francisco and the Los Angeles/Anaheim region, has been fully environmentally cleared across most of its planned 494-mile route, with remaining sections continuing through planning and early works stages.
At the US High-Speed Rail Conference, Ian Choudri, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, provided a detailed project update focused on construction delivery, procurement reform, and private-sector partnerships. To engage further with the discussion, check out our recent podcast episode on California High-Speed Rail’s New Delivery Strategy.
