California high-speed rail: Photos show latest completion

Progress on California’s high-speed rail project is advancing, with new images showing infrastructure developments in Central Valley.

The project, which seeks to connect every region of California with high-speed rail by 2050, began its tracklaying phase earlier this month.

Newsweek contacted the California High-Speed Rail Authority for further information via email.

Why It Matters

California’s high-speed rail project is the largest in the U.S., and the new expansion is set to connect two of the state’s most important urban areas. However, the project has faced delays and expanding budgets, meaning this year’s developments are vital in justifying the cost and resources required so far.

What To Know

On Thursday, the California High-Speed Rail Authority released images of a “completed high-speed rail structure” in Kings County in the Central Valley, which has been the focus of much of the project’s work.

The images show the Fargo Avenue overcrossing, which opened on January 30. The 205-foot-long structure lifts the original road over the designated route for the rail system, allowing drivers to cross the train route without disruption.

Dragados-Flatiron Joint Venture, the construction company contracted for the crossing, is in Selma, another Central Valley city. The project has focused on employing primarily Californian businesses throughout the process, creating 14,500 construction jobs since the beginning of construction, the California High-Speed Rail Authority said in a news release.

A spokesperson for the agency told Newsweek: “Something gets lost talking about the job-years, and the labor income are the small businesses we’ve employed on this project.

“With aggressive goals for small business participation, including Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises, and Micro-Businesses, as of October of 2024 more than 880 certified small businesses worked on the high-speed rail program statewide.”

What People Are Saying

California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a news release on January 7: “By 2050, every Californian should be able to choose rail as a way to get to their destination, near or far. Our rail plan is ambitious, but as the world’s fifth largest economy bursting with talent and innovation, we’re ready to take on this challenge.”

The California High-Speed Rail Authority previously told Newsweek: “Initial track work is estimated to begin by Spring 2025, with installation of mainline turnouts, work that includes laying a siding track, a parallel track that allows BNSF trains to pull off the mainline and out of the way of the work.

“A track and OCS construction contract has not yet been awarded. The Authority will be issuing a request for proposals to procure a contract for Track and Overhead Contact System (OCS) construction, and expects to award a contract by fourth quarter 2025.”

What Happens Next

The first high-speed rail services along the system are expected to begin between 2030 and 2033, with the entire route planning to come online by 2050.

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