The California High-Speed Rail Authority has completed another local structure, bringing the total number of finished structures to 61 along the first 119 miles of active construction in the Central Valley.
The State Route 43 at Jersey Avenue grade separation in Kings County is now open to traffic. Despite widespread criticism, the rail authority is plowing forward and vowed to start laying track beginning in November moving from Shafter north into Tulare and Kings counties.
There was plenty of other news this week from the project that vows to build in all electric powered high-speed rail system in California.
With completion of the 150-acre southern railhead facility in Kern County that will serve as a hub for receiving and storing high-speed rail materials, including tracks — rail installation can begin announced the board.
Materials will include German-based Vossloh rail ties shipped from its Colorado plant for installation here. Vossloh will manufacture 335,000 concrete ties and fastening systems designed to meet the demands of a high-speed rail line, CHSRA announced late last month. Once manufactured from the plant, they will be delivered during the third quarter of this year. The construction segment of the project is 119 miles, totaling more than $45 million. The company will also supply the Nevada to California Brightline high speed rail project that will connect LA to Las Vegas.
Announced this month, California High Speed Rail Authority tapped an American lead consortium of Kiewit, Stacey Witbeck, and Herzog in a $3.5 billion deal, to install the track, overhead contact system, train control and communications infrastructure needed to transform the 119 miles of guideway completed in the Central Valley into an electrified high-speed rail system capable of speeds up to 220 mph. Each are US experts in their field, led by Kiewit — one of North America’s largest construction and engineering firms, with extensive experience delivering major transportation, rail, highway, and infrastructure projects.
Ian Choudri, authority CEO, said, “With the railhead track installation complete and many critical rail materials already under contract, we are now accelerating toward installing the first true high-speed rail track ever built in the Western Hemisphere and doing it in a way that delivers for California quickly, and economically.”
There was still more news this week with the announcement that the authority would partner with private investor consortium called Momentum Alliance Partners that would be involved with future segments of the statewide plan. Sources say that includes Dallas-based contractor Jacobs Solutions, Spanish engineering firm Sener and London-based Steer. Reports say members include Plenary Americas US Holdings Inc. / Plenary Americas USA Ltd. — an international public infrastructure investment and development company leading the consortium and CDPQ Infra (CDPQ Infra Inc.): The infrastructure and development firm backed by La Caisse, one of Canada's largest public pension funds.
This group would use their own money along specific segments of the line mixed with public investment to link the Central Valley north to the electrified and completed Caltrain segments in the Bay Area.
After that the authority could concentrate on construction to connect to Southern California. This patchwork system used in other high-speed rail countries, including Japan and France connects different legs of the route with different companies operating and selling tickets for each of them.
Another headline coming out of the authority meetings in the past month is that the board has selected both Fresno and Hanford as potential locations for the Central Valley Heavy Maintenance facility that could bring 2,000 jobs to the region.
Also the board said they plan to identify and evaluate potential private partners in response to the Request for Expressions of Interest in clean energy generation, energy storage, and grid integration, while soliciting industry feedback to further advance cost-efficiency, schedule acceleration, and system resilience. That would include potential construction of battery storage and and data centers.
”For example, solar farms and data centers could leverage high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission and technology corridors, creating a multiplier effect on investment returns and operational efficiency.”
The idea of promoting the idea of data centers in the central valley could be a new controversy, considering rising public concern over data centers.
John Lindt covers agriculture and business for The Sentinel.
Originally published on hanfordsentinel.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
