The Southern Railhead Facility in Kern County for California’s high-speed rail was completed. Freight track installation was completed at the 150-acre site near Wasco. It will operate as a central logistics hub for the delivery, storage, and distribution of materials needed to electrify and operate the rail system. Its completion comes one year after construction started. Gov. Gavin Newsom, state and community leaders celebrated the completion today. “With the completion of the Southern Railhead Facility, we’ve taken another critical step in the track-laying stage,” Newsom stated in a press release. “California is building the nation’s first high-speed rail system, and we’re proving it can be done.” Much of the rail is under construction in the Central Valley, stretching from a site just north of Delano to Madera. According to the project’s website, there are 21 active construction sites. The project has completed 80 miles of guideway, along with 58 structures. Another 171 miles of the project are being designed. The first phase of the rail will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles and Anaheim, and 463 miles of the 494-mile system have been cleared of environmental debris and are ready for construction. The travel time between the cities is estimated at two hours and 40 minutes. The second phase will connect Sacramento to San Diego. The program was awarded $1 billion in annual funding through 2045. The 2025 supplemental project update report stated that $13.8 billion has already been spent on the project. The project began construction in January 2015 with a groundbreaking ceremony in Fresno. Voters approved the project’s funding in 2008. Legislative approval was given in 2012. See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
KERN COUNTY, Calif. —
The Southern Railhead Facility in Kern County for California’s high-speed rail was completed. Freight track installation was completed at the 150-acre site near Wasco.
It will operate as a central logistics hub for the delivery, storage, and distribution of materials needed to electrify and operate the rail system. Its completion comes one year after construction started.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, state and community leaders celebrated the completion today.
“With the completion of the Southern Railhead Facility, we’ve taken another critical step in the track-laying stage,” Newsom stated in a press release. “California is building the nation’s first high-speed rail system, and we’re proving it can be done.”
Much of the rail is under construction in the Central Valley, stretching from a site just north of Delano to Madera. According to the project’s website, there are 21 active construction sites.
The project has completed 80 miles of guideway, along with 58 structures. Another 171 miles of the project are being designed.
The first phase of the rail will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles and Anaheim, and 463 miles of the 494-mile system have been cleared of environmental debris and are ready for construction.
The travel time between the cities is estimated at two hours and 40 minutes. The second phase will connect Sacramento to San Diego.
The program was awarded $1 billion in annual funding through 2045. The 2025 supplemental project update report stated that $13.8 billion has already been spent on the project. The project began construction in January 2015 with a groundbreaking ceremony in Fresno. Voters approved the project’s funding in 2008. Legislative approval was given in 2012.
See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel