Will California High-Speed Rail lay tracks in 2026, as promised? See agency’s plan
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Materials contracts scheduled by May; construction contractor expected by June 2026.
- Wasco railhead ready; 2026 track construction incentivized with bonus pay for contractor.
- Track work to start Shafter‑Wasco and extend 119 miles north to Fresno‑Madera.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri has talked repeatedly about the agency’s intent to lay the project’s first tracks in the Central Valley this year. Sometimes he called the schedule a “plan” or “philosophy,” other times he spoke with a more certain tone.
“We are laying tracks next year, so I don’t see any point where we have to say, ‘Oh, we cannot do it,’” Choudri said last year in response to debate about whether the project should continue.
If the rail authority is going to lay tracks in the Central Valley this year, it has about nine months to start.
What’s the plan?
The Fresno Bee asked the rail authority when exactly in 2026 it will start laying tracks. The agency pointed to various pages on its website and reports to its board outlining timelines related to contracts for track materials and construction — which the agency expects to begin awarding soon.
It does not appear the rail authority has a hard 2026 track-laying deadline for whichever track construction contractor it chooses to perform the work. Instead, the agency is planning to offer bonus checks of up to $5 million if that contractor actually begins laying track on the schedule the rail authority has emphasized over the past year.
“The latest scenario is to begin construction by the end of the year,” said Henry Perea, a rail authority board member from Fresno. “But I’m hoping for that to happen a little bit sooner.”
If track installation begins this year, it would come 18 years after California voters first approved $9.95 billion in bonds for a train intended to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with a price tag of about $45 billion. Years of court disputes, sluggish land acquisitions and other problems have led to almost $15 billion in spending with no tracks — a point the project’s detractors often emphasize as they criticize it as no longer viable.
The rail authority has set the stage this year for the beginning of its track-laying phase. Its newly constructed 150-acre railhead facility near Wasco is ready to receive and send out materials for track construction. In the next few months, the agency must finalize deals with the companies that want to supply those materials and a company that wants to begin installing them.
CA High-Speed Rail still ‘on track’ to lay tracks in 2026, board member says
Track work will begin in the Shafter-Wasco area and move northward along a 119-mile stretch to the Fresno-Madera area. The agency last August started looking for companies that want to provide $507.1 million in rail materials for that stretch.
The agency’s website says it is scheduled to award materials supply contracts by May. It has already identified the companies that will likely supply rail, concrete ties and the overhead poles that supply high-speed trains with power.
Perea, the board member from Fresno, told The Bee he expects to see some of those contracts come up at the next board meeting scheduled for April 29.
The rail authority in November also started requesting bids from companies that want the $3.5 billion contract to install those materials. More than 80 business representatives registered for a pre-bid conference in December, and the proposals from interested businesses were due Thursday.
The agency expects to choose a contractor by June.
“We’re expediting the purchase of materials, we have the railhead built and we have the (request for proposals) out to hire the contractor,” Perea said. “Everything is on track, from my perspective.”
High-Speed Rail offers bonus if contractor accomplishes some 2026 track construction
The 145-page agreement that the rail authority is offering the future track construction says the contractor will be eligible for “incentive payments” if the company reaches certain milestones.
In Construction Package 4, which covers 22 miles between the Shafter area and the Kern-Tulare county line, the contractor will be eligible for a bonus of $225,000 per mile of track laid on or before Dec. 1. The incentive payments cap out at $5 million, or 60 miles of track.
“The Authority is further evaluating the incentive for laying track in 2026 and the amounts and deadlines remain subject to discussion and revision,” the agency says in the proposed agreement.
This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 5:03 PM.
