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4/12/2024
The California High-Speed Rail Authority's board yesterday approved the release of a request for proposals (RFP) to Alstom Transportation Inc. and Siemens Mobility Inc. for the manufacture of electrified high-speed trains.
Alstom and Siemens emerged from the request of qualifications that the board approved in August 2023. With the RFP due in the fall, authority officials hope to award a contract by the end of the year, according to a CHSRA press release.
The contract will call for a total of six trainsets capable of operating at 220 mph and testing up to 242 mph. Two of the six will be prototypes to support testing and trial running; four of the six will operate along the 171-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield section of the high-speed rail line.
The trainsets must be ready for revenue service between 2030 and 2033, according to the RFP. The contract also will require 30 years of maintenance services, including a midlife overhaul.
The RFP is made possible in part by the nearly $3.1 billion federal investment announced in 2023 for the California high-speed rail project, authority officials said.
"[Yesterday's] board action continues our urgent march to put federal dollars to work, creating new industries and economic opportunity around high-speed rail. By the end of this year, we will know who will build California's first high-speed trains, setting the course for better, more accessible rail travel in California," said Tom Richards, a CHSRA board member.