California HSR Narrows Depot Site to Fresno or Hanford

USA: California’s high-speed rail authority has spent months evaluating 11 possible sites for its Central Valley maintenance depot; it’s now down to two, and the choice will decide which of two Central Valley communities gets up to 2,100 permanent jobs.

The Authority has narrowed the Central Valley Heavy Maintenance Facility to sites south of Fresno and south of Hanford, and opened a formal public comment period through Monday, Sept. 14, according to KSEE24/CBS47. The facility is where high-speed trainsets will be initially assembled and tested, and later receive major overhauls and component replacement.

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From 11 candidates to a two-city contest

The Authority’s March 2026 screening fact sheet listed 11 candidate sites across Merced, Madera, Fresno and Kern counties, evaluated against criteria including a minimum 150-acre footprint, at least 8,000 feet of length, proximity to the initial Merced–Bakersfield operating segment and two independent points of site access. The facility is expected to run on 100% renewable energy and, until separate light-maintenance facilities open in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, will also handle interim light maintenance for the wider system.

How to weigh in, and what isn’t decided yet

Public comments can be submitted by email to HMF@hsr.ca.gov with the subject line “Central Valley HMF Scoping Comment,” or by mail to the Authority’s Director of Environmental Services. The announcement does not specify when the Authority expects to announce a final site selection after the September comment period closes, or how many of the projected 1,700 to 2,100 jobs would go to each community if it isn’t chosen.

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