Courtesy of California High Speed Rail Authority
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Senior Staff Writer
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February 20, 2026
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is working toward its goal to start officially laying high-speed track at some point in 2026.
While civil construction has been ongoing along the route for over a decade, the CHSRA began receiving bids from construction vendors in November of 2025, with the goal of laying track and systems within the year.
This means that we’re another step closer to seeing high-speed rail in California, which will ultimately enable travelers to move between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Construction at CA State Route 46 underpass. Courtesy of California High Speed Rail Authority.
First miles of high-speed track in the Central Valley
CHSRA has focused most of its work on the Initial Operating Segment in the Central Valley, along a 119-mile stretch to the Merced and Bakersfield extensions. While they’ve already laid temporary track for freight deliveries, no high-speed track has been installed… until now.
In November 2025, they launched a $3.5 billion Request for Proposals for qualified vendors to bid on the track & systems construction contract, which covers high-speed track, the overhead contact system, train control, and communications.
According to a January 2026 article by Newsweek, proposals are due on March 2nd, and CHSRA will award the contract to its chosen vendor or contractor during Q2 of 2026.
In the meantime, CHSRA is directly working to procure materials such as rail, ties, and overhead contact system poles, and dispatch them to installation locations from their Kern County facility.
If all continues going to schedule, then the winning vendor will begin laying high-speed track and installing more systems along the 119-mile Central Valley stretch by the end of 2026.
Kings Tulare station rendering. Courtesy of California High Speed Rail Authority.
The future of California High-Speed Rail
California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) officially launched in 2008 when voters approved Proposition 1A, which authorized nearly $10 billion in bonds for a high-speed rail line connecting Northern and Southern California. Groundbreaking eventually followed in Fresno in 2015.
Over a decade later, the 119-mile Initial Operating Segment (IOS) in the Central Valley is under heavy construction, which involves the creation of major viaducts, bridges, embankments, and grade separations. The IOS is projected to open in 2032.
The ultimate vision for CHSR is to link NorCal and SoCal with 200+ mph electric trains, which would allow travelers to cover the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
While environmental clearance has been approved for the full Phase 1 route from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim, there is still no projected project completion date. A longer-term vision for Phase 2 would further extend the system to Sacramento in the north and San Diego in the south, bringing the full network to about 800 miles.
🌐 Learn more: California High-Speed Rail Authority