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The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Wednesday issued a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) in the initial construction segment and future phases of California's high-speed rail (HSR) system.

The RFEI is the first step in the procurement process through which CHSRA will award contracts for the first $5.5 billion in construction and, ultimately, for the design and construction of the entire system, as well as for trainsets, operations and maintenance.

Interested companies have until March 16 to respond. The RFEI applies to either the initial construction segment — about 120 miles through the state's Central Valley — as well as the project's future phases, including financing, core systems, operations and maintenance.

The RFEI is not a required, binding part of the procurement process, but an opportunity for the private sector to formally weigh in on the what would be the largest infrastructure project in the nation, said CHSRA officials in a prepared statement.

"This request for expressions of interest is the chance for companies large and small, from the self-employed business person in the Central Valley to multinational corporations, to tell us exactly what roles they hope to play in making high-speed rail travel a reality in California," said Roelof van Ark, the authority's chief executive officer.