Governor Newsom, CEO Choudri, partners, and community leaders speaking at the opening of the Railhead Project.
January 7, 2025, 8:25 a.m.
KERN COUNTY, Calif. – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom, California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) CEO Ian Choudri and community leaders, kicked off the Authority’s Railhead Project in Kern County marking the first steps in the track construction process. This work is made possible due to the substantial completion of Construction Package 4 (CP 4), the southernmost segment of high-speed rail construction in California’s Central Valley.
CP 4 is a 22-mile stretch of the high-speed rail project between Poplar Avenue in Wasco and approximately one mile south of the Tulare/Kern County line. Of the more than 14,500 construction jobs created since the start of the high-speed rail project, work in CP 4 generated more than 3,200 jobs that went to residents of the Central Valley, the majority going to workers in Kern County.
Newsom stated, “No state in America is closer to launching high-speed rail than California – and today, we just took a massive step forward. We’re moving into the track-laying phase, completing structures for key segments, and laying the groundwork for a high-speed rail network. The future of transportation is being realized right here in the Central Valley with thousands of good paying jobs already created and 171 miles being worked on. As only California can, we’re building America’s biggest infrastructure project.”
About the Railhead Project
Construction of the railhead is a major step in the track and systems process and signifies the next phase of the high-speed rail program bringing it closer to operations. The Railhead Project is necessary for the Authority to receive materials to start construction of temporary freight tracks, which includes delivery of major equipment such as track laying machines, track ties, traction power and Overhead Contact Systems (OCS). The work starts with a period of subgrade preparation, readying the site for the eventual laying of ballast ties and rail for the yard, effectively serving as a location to receive materials required to build the Authority’s high-speed rail track. The Authority will be issuing a Request for Proposals to procure a contract for Track and OCS construction in 2025.
