CHSRA readies HSR groundbreaking
Fresno, Calif., will host groundbreaking ceremonies Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, marking the start of construction for California’s ambitious intrastate high speed rail system.
California High Speed Rail Authority
California HSR phase 2 draws three bidders
Three consortia submitted sealed bids late Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014, to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), expressing interest in overseeing construction of the second leg of the state’s proposed high speed rail network.
Top Calif. court spurns latest HSR challenge
California’ State Supreme Court on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 rejected the latest challenge to the Golden State’s proposed 700-mile high speed rail project, clearing the way for initial construction.
STB backs CHSRA second segment
The Surface Transportation Board has ruled that the California High-Speed Rail Authority “is authorized to construct a 114-mile high-speed passenger rail line between Fresno and Bakersfield, Cal., subject to environmental mitigation conditions,” thus giving the state’s high speed rail effort more momentum.
CHSRA funding plan clears court hurdle
A California appeals court has ruled that the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) can proceed with up to $8 billion in state bond sales for the proposed $68 billion system proposed to span the Golden State.
Amtrak, CHSRA call it quits on joint trainset procurement
Plans by Amtrak and the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to jointly purchase a fleet of high speed trainsets have been scrapped as the two parties have acknowledged that the specifications differ too greatly.
California appropriates $250 million for HSR
California’s beleaguered high speed rail program, which since its inception has faced numerous political and financial challenges, has just received a boost of sorts from the California General Assembly, which reached a budget deal with Gov. Jerry Brown that will include a $250 million appropriation for HSR in the state’s next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Caltrain electrification plan advances
Caltrain has released its draft environmental impact report for its planned electrification of right-of-way between San Francisco and San Jose, a distance of roughly 51 miles.
Courts clash over California HSR
A California appeals court has put on hold an earlier legal order by a Superior Court judge halting funding of California’s high speed rail project, saying it will review the matter over funding.
Amtrak, CHSRA issue trainset RFP
Amtrak and the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Jan. 24, 2014 jointly issued an RFP (Request For Proposals) for high speed trainsets that will be “essential to meeting Amtrak’s critical short-term need to expand the capacity of its current Northeast Corridor high speed service and meeting the long-term operational needs of both Amtrak and the CHSRA.”