Governor Newsom announces major high-speed rail milestone, track installation to begin

About the Railhead Project

With the Legislature’s recent renewal of California’s Cap-and-Invest program, the high-speed rail project has its most stable economic outlook in a decade — securing a historic annual commitment of $1 billion for the program through 2045. The largest guaranteed infusion of funding for California’s high-speed rail program to date will enable the Authority to move from heavy civil construction into full systems installation and delivery.

A year after the kick-off of railhead construction in 2025, the Authority has completed installation of freight tracks at the 150-acre project site. The facility is connected to the national freight network and is designed to support the delivery and staging of materials required to build the future electrified high-speed rail system.

The site includes temporary freight lines and storage tracks, material storage and warehouse facilities, maintenance and operations space, and infrastructure to safely coordinate trains, equipment, and personnel.

High-Speed Rail Progress

Work continues daily on the high-speed rail project, with 171 miles currently under design and construction from Merced to Bakersfield. Nearly 80 miles of guideway are complete, along with 58 fully completed structures; an additional 29 more structures are underway across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.

The project continues to advance statewide, with 463 miles of the 494-mile San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim system fully environmentally cleared and construction-ready.

Since construction began, the project has created more than 16,400 good-paying jobs with over 70 percent going to residents of the Central Valley. Up to 1,700 workers report to high-speed rail construction sites each day.

For the latest on high-speed rail construction, visit www.buildhsr.com.