USA: The California High Speed Rail Authority has formally launched procurement of track and railway systems for the initial Central Valley section of the state-wide high speed rail network.
A Request for Proposals was issued by the project promoter on November 26, seeking a Track & Systems Construction Contract worth $3·5bn which will deliver the components necessary to fit out the alignment now under construction. This expands on the authority’s announcement in August that six separate notices would be issued confirming the start of procurement of the various lots, which include rail, sleepers, overhead electrification masts, optical fibre cabling and ballast; together, these elements were valued at $507m.
Covering track, overhead electrification equipment, train control, communications equipment and the testing and safety certification needed for service, the RFP will inform a contract covering the 191 km segment between Madera and Poplar Avenue, north of Bakersfield. Structured into nine separate packages with phased Notices to Proceed, CHSRA said the procurement would allow work to move forward section by section as civil works are completed.
CHSRA has launched the procurement process following the completion of tracklaying at its planned worksite in Kern County. This 61 ha site will form the base for the tracklaying and fit-out process, enabling freight trains to deliver track and systems construction materials directly to the point of installation along the initial alignment.
‘Bringing this contract to market today is a major milestone of our new delivery strategy: building faster, smarter, and more economically. Together with our innovative direct purchases of track and systems materials, this action puts us on an accelerated path to laying the first true high-speed rail track in the Western Hemisphere next year’, said CHSRA Chief Executive Ian Choudri.
