California High-Speed Rail Authority held a groundbreaking ceremony at noon on January 6 to officially ‘commemorate the start of sustained construction’ of the state’s high speed line. During the event, Governor Jerry Brown and other dignitaries signed a ceremonial section of rail at the site of the future Fresno station.

“We now enter a period of sustained construction on the nation’s first high-speed rail system - for the next five years in the Central Valley and for a decade after that across California,” said High-Speed Rail Authority board Chairman Dan Richard. “This is an investment that will forever improve the way Californians commute, travel, and live. And today is also a celebration of the renewed spirit that built California.”

CHSRA plans to have trains capable of 320 km/h running between San Francisco and the Los Angeles basin in under 3 hours by 2029. The line would eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totalling 1 280 km with up to 24 stations.

The $985m Construction Package 1 was awarded to a joint venture of Tutor Perini, Zachry Construction and Parsons in June 2013. The design and build contract covers civil works on the 47 km Madera – Fresno segment of the $6bn Initial Operating Section which will run for 480 km between Merced and the San Fernando Valley.

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