California’s high-speed rail program is moving into another major procurement phase as the state expands active construction across the Central Valley corridor. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has approved the next civil works solicitation for the Merced-to-Madera extension, signaling continued investment in large-scale transportation infrastructure delivery.
The procurement adds to ongoing construction activity between Merced and Bakersfield and comes as track installation is scheduled to begin later this year on portions of the system already under development.
The planned contract covers grading operations, roadway modifications and structural construction associated with extending the high-speed rail system north toward Merced County.
According to the Authority, the contract will follow a collaborative design-build model intended to refine project scope, reduce delivery risk and improve cost and schedule certainty before final contractor selection.
The request for qualifications is expected to be released this summer. Two teams are anticipated to be shortlisted before the end of 2026, with early-stage collaboration activities beginning shortly afterward.
Major construction on the segment is projected to occur from late 2027 through 2030. The civil works package carries an estimated value of approximately $2.4 billion.
In addition to the construction procurement, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is advancing a separate solicitation tied to long-term system power and infrastructure commercialization opportunities.
The Cal CLEAN Partnership Agreement initiative is structured to evaluate clean energy concepts and potential private-sector participation supporting future rail operations. Under the process, a selected partner would spend six months assessing energy resiliency and infrastructure development opportunities before any future implementation agreements are considered.
The effort follows a previously executed rail infrastructure co-development agreement involving Momentum Alliance Partners LLC.
Statements of qualifications for the clean energy initiative are expected this summer, with partner selection targeted for August 2026.
The Authority reported that 171 miles of the system are currently under design or active construction between Merced and Bakersfield.
Project updates indicate that more than 80 miles of guideway construction have been completed, alongside 61 completed major structures and another 30 structures currently under construction across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.
Statewide environmental clearance has also advanced across most of the planned San Francisco-to-Los Angeles/Anaheim alignment.
For contractors, infrastructure owners and transportation developers, the Merced-to-Madera procurement represents one of the largest upcoming rail construction opportunities in the U.S. market.
The collaborative design-build approach also reflects broader public-sector efforts to manage delivery risk and improve schedule predictability on large transportation programs.
The additional clean energy partnership initiative highlights growing integration between transportation infrastructure delivery and long-term power resiliency planning as rail agencies prepare for electrified system operations.
