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   From: seriously-retarded@ca.gov   
      
   The California High-Speed Rail Authority on Thursday announced a plan to   
   accelerate the process of laying the first tracks on the state’s   
   beleaguered infrastructure project.   
      
   The Authority’s board of directors approved a process that invites bids   
   from U.S. manufacturers to acquire high-speed rail track and other   
   required system components, officials said.   
      
   The materials will be used to install the first miles of electrified   
   track along the California High-Speed Rail route, the first high-speed   
   rail track to be laid in the U.S.   
      
   The Authority states that the process is being accelerated and will   
   result in track being laid in 2026.   
      
   “Purchasing the track and materials needed to launch the nation’s first   
   high-speed track and systems installation within the next year is a   
   major milestone,” said Authority CEO Ian Choudri. “Today, we are taking   
   concrete actions to build faster, smarter, and more economically to   
   deliver a modern, high-speed rail system that promotes economic   
   mobility, affordable housing, and a cleaner environment throughout the   
   state.”   
      
   It comes as completion nears on a 150-acre rail staging yard in Kern   
   County near the southernmost end of the Central Valley segment. The   
   staging yard will allow freight trains to receive and deliver the   
   materials directly to the point of installation, CAHSR officials said.   
      
   U.S. manufacturers will be able to bid in six separate procurement   
   packages as crews begin laying track on the 119-mile segment currently   
   construction. Materials, including rail, ties, fiber optic cables and   
   catenary poles, will be purchased entirely with state funds, with an   
   approved cost of $507 million to be awarded to multiple vendors.   
      
   The lack of track having been laid has been a major point of contention   
   for opponents of the project, including current Transportation Secretary   
   Sean Duffy. After the Department of Transportation announced it was   
   pulling more federal funding for California High-Speed Rail, Duffy   
   criticized the delayed process.   
      
   “In twenty years, California has not been able to lay a single track of   
   high-speed rail,” Duffy said earlier this week. “Joe Biden and Pete   
   Buttigieg didn’t care about these failures and dumped hundreds of   
   millions of dollars into the state’s wish list of related fantasy   
   projects.”   
      
   Industry experts and supporters of the California High-Speed Rail have   
   pushed back on the notion, arguing that track-laying realistically   
   happens late in the overall construction process, and is an easier   
   endeavor than building bridges and underpasses, or navigating the   
   clerical and legal challenges that have plagued the project.   
      
   The Authority has attempted to highlight what parts of system have   
   actually been completed already, including the construction of 57   
   structures in the Central Valley, with 29 additional structures   
   currently being built. Currently, 171 miles are under design and   
   construction between Merced and Bakersfield, and nearly 70 miles of   
   guideway is complete.   
      
   All but 31 miles of the system has received environmental clearance   
   between San Francisco and the greater Los Angeles area, and CAHSR says   
   the project has generated billions in economic activity in the Central   
   Valley.   
      
   “Since construction began, the project has created over 15,800   
   good-paying jobs—most filled by Central Valley residents. Up to 1,700   
   workers report to high-speed rail construction sites each day,” a news   
   release states.   
      
   While the Trump Administration has put the project in its crosshairs,   
   California Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken up advocacy for it, proposing $1   
   billion annually from the state’s cap and trade program to provide the   
   project with consistent, reliable funding.   
      
   Currently, the project’s funding sources are spread out and sporadic.   
   Choudri says a consistent source of funds would allow the Authority to   
   seek financing for the project, further accelerate construction and find   
   new revenue streams.   
      
   To track current construction progress on the California High-Speed   
   Rail, you can visit BuildHSR.com.   
      
   https://ktla.com/news/california/california-high-speed-rail-anno   
   nces-accelerated-timeline-for-milestone-work/   
      
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