High-Speed Rail plans to lay track starting in November | John Lindt
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is advancing its project, including laying tracks in the Central Valley and partnering with private consortiums. The board is also exploring opportunities for clean energy and grid integration along the rail corridor, potentially including battery storage and data centers. This prospect of data center construction is highlighted as a potential new controversy.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is advancing its project in the Central Valley, announcing the completion of its 61st structure, a grade separation in Kings County, and the opening of a 150-acre southern railhead facility in Kern County. The Authority plans to begin laying high-speed track in November, moving north from Shafter into Tulare and Kings counties. German company Vossloh is supplying 335,000 concrete rail ties from its Colorado plant, while an American consortium led by Kiewit, Stacey Witbeck, and Herzog has secured a $3.5 billion deal to install track, overhead contact systems, and communications infrastructure for the 119 miles of guideway.
Additionally, the CHSRA announced a partnership with the private investor consortium Momentum Alliance Partners, which includes Jacobs Solutions, Sener, Steer, Plenary Americas US Holdings Inc., and CDPQ Infra. This partnership aims to blend private and public investment for future segments, connecting the Central Valley to the Bay Area and eventually Southern California. The board is also evaluating Fresno and Hanford as potential sites for a heavy maintenance facility, which could create 2,000 jobs.
Furthermore, the Authority is seeking industry feedback and partners for clean energy generation, energy storage, and grid integration, which could include the construction of battery storage and data centers utilizing high voltage direct current transmission along the rail corridor. This exploration of data center development in the Central Valley is noted as a potential new controversy, given growing public concern over such facilities.