The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s Board of Directors has released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for design services for track and overhead contact systems (OCS) connecting Merced to Bakersfield.
This marks the latest milestone in delivering a 220 mph electrified high-speed passenger rail system across this initial 171-mile segment.
This latest announcement follows the Authority’s RFQ for procuring its first trainsets, which was released in August.
“Today’s approval allows us to move forward and get this transformative project into operations as soon as possible. This is a critical step in our new procurement strategy and yet another important milestone for us to deliver high-speed rail service in the Central Valley and statewide.”
The RFQ can be found here, with Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) due by 22 January 2024. Potential Board approval and contract execution and issuance will follow in April 2024.
The contract has a total value of 131.2 million USD, along with potential extension options.
The scope of the work will enable the Authority to produce high-level designs for the track and systems spanning 171 miles between Merced and Bakersfield. This will include detailed designs for the 119-mile stretch already under active construction.
In October 2022, the Authority opted to let a previous RFQ for a track and systems contractor expire due to the economic climate, supply-chain challenges and inflation. It has since developed a new procurement strategy, for which the track and OCS design services contract is an important component.
