The Merced-to-Madera package includes grading operations, structural construction and roadway improvements associated with extending the high-speed rail corridor toward Merced County. The work will support expansion beyond the currently active construction zones in the Central Valley.
California High-Speed Rail Authority estimates the contract value at approximately $2.4 billion. Procurement documents are expected to be issued during summer 2026.
The Authority plans to use a collaborative design-build structure for the contract. Under that approach, shortlisted teams will participate in early-stage coordination intended to refine project design, reduce delivery risk and improve cost and schedule certainty before final contract award.
Two teams are expected to advance to the collaborative phase by the end of 2026. Major field construction on the extension is scheduled to begin in late 2027 and continue through 2030.
In parallel with the civil works procurement, California High-Speed Rail Authority is advancing a separate solicitation focused on long-term energy supply and infrastructure commercialization opportunities for the rail system.
The Cal CLEAN Partnership Agreement initiative is intended to evaluate clean power strategies for future system operations while also identifying potential revenue-generating uses for Authority-owned infrastructure assets.
Under the proposed structure, a selected private-sector partner would conduct a six-month evaluation period at no cost to the Authority. The review would examine energy resiliency opportunities, system power requirements and potential infrastructure development concepts tied to the rail network.
The initiative follows a previously executed co-development agreement with Momentum Alliance Partners LLC, which is evaluating methods to accelerate delivery and expand private-sector participation across the program.
Statements of qualifications for the clean energy effort are expected this summer, with partner selection targeted for August 2026.
California High-Speed Rail Authority reported that 171 miles of the system between Merced and Bakersfield are either under construction or in design development.
Program officials stated that more than 80 miles of guideway have been completed. The Authority also reported 61 completed major structures and an additional 30 structures currently under construction across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.
Environmental clearance activities continue statewide, with 463 miles of the planned 494-mile San Francisco-to-Los Angeles/Anaheim corridor now approved for construction.
The Authority reported that the program has generated nearly 19,200 construction-related jobs, with as many as 1,700 workers active on project sites daily.
The Merced-to-Madera procurement represents one of the next major vertical and civil construction opportunities within California’s long-running rail infrastructure program. For heavy civil contractors, specialty trade firms and design-build teams, the package signals continued public investment in large-scale transportation work despite broader market uncertainty surrounding megaproject delivery costs nationwide.
The collaborative design-build structure also reflects growing owner interest in procurement methods aimed at reducing cost escalation and schedule risk on complex infrastructure programs. In addition, the clean energy solicitation highlights increasing integration between transportation construction and long-term utility and resiliency planning for major public projects.
