California High-Speed Rail project update outlines 2039 route

California High-Speed Rail project update details were presented by California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri at last week’s USHSR Conference. He discussed construction progress, procurement changes, and the authority’s plans for wider private-sector involvement. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The update followed proposals issued earlier this month to change the project’s construction sequence, funding approach, and delivery timetable. Those proposals are intended to allow important tunnel sections toward San Francisco and Los Angeles to start before the Central Valley segment is fully completed. That segment is currently required by mandate.

The revised approach would also allow initial services to run on single-track infrastructure designed for later expansion. This would replace the current requirement for the Central Valley route to be completed as a fully double-tracked section before operations begin. In practice, the proposal separates the infrastructure needed for early service from the fuller buildout planned for later expansion.

Three possible delivery paths have been set out. Each depends on future state funding commitments. One scenario would finish only the Central Valley section, with services starting in 2033. A second would extend the line north toward the San Francisco Bay Area by 2039. A third would complete the full San Francisco–Los Angeles corridor by 2040. That option would use additional tunnels, new track, and upgrades to existing commuter rail infrastructure.

During the conference, Choudri explained the revised strategy in an interview with CNBC’s Jeniece Pettitt.

California High-Speed Rail project update focuses on delivery

Choudri said the authority remains focused on the initial operating segment in the Central Valley. Around 120 miles are actively being developed there. Within that section, about 80 miles are expected to be ready for track installation soon. He pointed to bridges, guideways, embankments, and tunnel activity as evidence of visible construction progress.

Choudri said:
The project is moving forward in a very physical way. It’s not on paper, it’s not concepts. It is the work that is being carried out physically.

Phased delivery approach

A central part of the updated strategy is phased delivery. Under this model, the authority would build infrastructure according to what is needed for operations at each stage. That means delivering only the track, station assets, and supporting infrastructure required for early service. At the same time, the full corridor footprint would remain available for later expansion.

The same approach would allow the authority to retain land and design the system for its final long-term configuration. Some extra tracks or facilities could then be postponed until passenger demand and operating requirements support them. According to Choudri, this would avoid unnecessary maintenance spending and improve the use of capital during the system’s early years.

Several engineering assumptions have also been changed as part of the cost-reduction effort. Revised design criteria have cut tunnel requirements by about 14 to 16 miles in some areas. These include changes to rail grades and alignments. The business plan also allows for more use of existing transport corridors in urban locations. This includes blended operations with already electrified systems such as Caltrain in the Bay Area.

Procurement reform and construction materials

Choudri said the authority found that earlier procurement arrangements were too slow. They also treated small purchases and major construction packages through the same administrative process. In response, the agency has introduced new contracting tools. These include IDIQs, or indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts, and multiple-award task-order contracts. They are designed to reduce procurement times and support faster project delivery.

The authority has also moved toward buying key construction materials directly. Rails, concrete ties, poles, wire systems, fibre infrastructure, and similar commodities are now being purchased centrally by the authority. They are no longer being procured separately by individual contractors. Choudri said this reduces supply-chain exposure and lets contractors focus mainly on installation and construction work.

Choudri remarked:
We decided we are going to purchase all this material ourselves… contractors can go run into our warehouse like a Home Depot… take it and go build.

Several major procurements are also moving forward at the same time. Choudri confirmed that negotiations are in progress with a future program delivery partner. Meanwhile, proposals for track and systems contracts have already been assessed. He said he expects those agreements to advance toward board approval in the near term.

Private-sector partnerships and corridor assets

Private investment has become a larger element of the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s long-term planning.

Choudri said recent state funding commitments have helped provide the financial stability needed to draw interest from the private sector. Discussions are ongoing with infrastructure investors, renewable energy developers, telecommunications companies, and possible co-development partners.

Commercial uses of the corridor

The authority’s updated business plan treats the corridor not only as a passenger rail system. It also treats it as a wider infrastructure platform. Choudri identified several areas being considered for commercial development. These include projects around stations, broadband infrastructure, renewable energy generation and transmission, concessions, and logistics opportunities.

He referred to high-speed rail networks in Japan, Italy, Spain, France, and Germany. He said profitable systems internationally depend on diversified infrastructure income rather than passenger fares alone. California’s long-term financial model is similarly based on generating revenue from corridor assets beyond ticket sales.

The authority is also looking at energy partnerships linked to rail electrification. Choudri said the system will initially use existing utility infrastructure. At the same time, the authority is developing a renewable energy strategy. That strategy could support rail operations and potentially wider community energy needs through private investment structures.

Los Angeles to San Francisco delivery scenarios

The updated business plan also examines how the full Los Angeles-to-San Francisco system could be delivered. Choudri said the authority has reviewed several expansion scenarios. He said a complete Phase 1 buildout could potentially be achieved by 2039 under a broader financing and delivery structure.

He said the authority is no longer limiting itself to one procurement route. It is open to several partnership and delivery models. According to Choudri, that flexibility could make it possible for work to advance in multiple regions at the same time. This would depend on financing and commercial arrangements coming together.

Wider rail industry coordination

Across the discussion, Choudri presented the project as part of a wider effort to build a modern high-speed rail industry in the US. He called for more domestic manufacturing capacity for rail materials and systems. He also called for faster permitting, utility coordination, and closer cooperation among federal, state, and regional agencies.

Choudri said:
I hope one day federal and state partners become so united that it doesn’t matter who is in Washington or who is in Sacramento. They just look at it as: this is important American infrastructure, this needs to be built, let’s support it, let’s get it done, and then make an example out of it so we can build more.

He also said local and regional transport agencies should make use of California High-Speed Rail’s procurement work, supplier relationships, and contract structures. In Choudri’s view, shared procurement methods could reduce costs and speed up rail development elsewhere in the country.

While recognising the scale and difficulty of the project, Choudri described the current stage as one focused on execution, delivery, and long-term commercialisation.

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