California High-Speed Rail Train Contract Still TBD

USA: California’s high-speed rail train contract remains unawarded more than 18 months after its original federal deadline, while the state’s current procurement schedule still lists the award date as TBD.

Contract deadline passed without an award

The California High-Speed Rail Authority began the procurement in August 2023, shortlisted Alstom Transportation and Siemens Mobility in January 2024, and released its request for proposals that April. However, the Authority’s current procurement schedule still classifies the trainsets as an active procurement and gives no tentative award date.

Federal grant documents required the state to execute the trainset contract by December 31, 2024. A later Federal Railroad Administration compliance review said the Authority had represented that its rolling-stock procurement would be finalized by December 2024. Nearly five months later, federal reviewers said vendor selection had not advanced and the procurement process had instead been reopened.

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What the delayed contract is meant to deliver?

The planned initial order covers six electric trainsets capable of operating at 220 mph: two prototypes for static and dynamic testing and four production trains for pre-revenue testing. The wider package also includes a driving simulator, spare parts, system integration, certification support and 30 years of train maintenance.

An April 2024 Authority board memorandum described rolling stock as part of the project’s critical path. The manufacturer must coordinate train design with the track, electrification, signalling, communications, traction power and maintenance facilities before the system can complete testing and certification.

The procurement delay therefore affects more than vehicle delivery. California needs the prototypes to test the first 119-mile construction section between Madera and Poplar Avenue before planned passenger operations on the full 171-mile Merced–Bakersfield corridor.

Six trains remain in California’s operating plan

In July 2025, the Federal Railroad Administration terminated approximately $4 billion in unspent funding, citing missed milestones and concluding that the Authority lacked a viable path to open the Merced–Bakersfield segment by the end of 2033. California rejected that assessment and described the withdrawal as politically motivated.

The project has nevertheless retained the trains in its state-backed plan. The Authority’s 2026 cost basis allocates $976 million for six trainsets and associated facilities on the Merced–Bakersfield segment, which is designed for eight daily trains in each direction. Yet the missing contract award leaves the supplier, delivery schedule and start of vehicle testing unresolved.

Until the Authority selects a manufacturer and issues a notice to proceed, the project cannot begin the train-specific engineering and prototype work required before passenger service.