State officials pitch Southwest High Speed Rail Network

While costs and political hurdles leave the future of the project uncertain, Governor Newsom and other officials met just outside of Bakersfield this week to celebrate progress on the nascent California High Speed Rail system.

“No state in America is closer to launching high-speed rail than California – and today, we just took a massive step forward," said Newsom. We’re moving into the track-laying phase, completing structures for key segments, and laying the groundwork for a high-speed rail network."

Although billions are needed to complete the project, work is currently underway for approximately 171 miles of the system, while environmental review has been completed for the 463-mile corridor between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Passenger service on the initial operating segment - between Merced and Bakersfield in the Central Valley - is anticipated to begin between 2030 and 2033.

This week's ceremony served as the groundbreaking for the high-speed rail line's railhead, a freight yard which designed to for receiving and staging construction materials. The railhead is considered a first step toward laying track for the future rail system.

Officials also highlighted the potential for California High Speed Rail to serve as the backbone of a future Southwest high-speed rail network. Heavy construction is slated to commence this year for the Brightline West high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California, which has secured more than $6 billion in federal funding. Combined with the 54-mile High Desert Corridor, which would establish high-speed rail between Victor Valley and Palmdale, the California High Speed Rail would be able to run trains directly from the Bay Area and Los Angeles Union Station to Brightline's eastern terminus on the Vegas Strip.

All of that will still require billions of funding from undetermined sources, though the Los Angeles Times reports that state legislators are beginning to explore public-private partnerships to move the project forward.

Newsom subsequently announced the release of California's State Rail Plan, which establishes goals for the statewide rail and transit network through the year 2050. The $310-billion plan envisions zero-emissions travel on many of the heavy rail corridors that criss-cross Southern California, an endeavor which would be facilitated by the construction of the aforementioned high-speed rail lines. The Caltrain system in the San Francisco Bay Area commenced electrified service in September 2024, beating Southern California's Metrolink to the punch.

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• California High Speed Rail (Urbanize LA)