California High-Speed Rail — Central Valley Alignment (Bakersfield to Merced)

California’s high-speed rail program just handed out one of its largest single contracts. A joint venture of Kiewit, Stacy Witbeck and Herzog will build a roughly 119-mile stretch of track between Bakersfield and Merced under a contract valued near $3.5 billion, part of a scaled-back plan to finally get trains running in the Central Valley by 2033.

Project Scope

This award covers track and systems work along an alignment where the civil structures, the viaducts, grade separations and bridges, are largely built or underway. The JV brings a specific mix: Kiewit’s heavy-civil muscle, Stacy Witbeck’s transit-construction record and Herzog’s rail expertise, the last piece being the one that turns a graded corridor into an operating railroad. Laying high-speed track means holding tolerances tight enough for trains that will eventually run well over 150 mph, then integrating signaling, electrification and control systems across the full segment.

Why It Matters

The Central Valley segment has been the punching bag of American infrastructure for a decade, over budget and behind schedule, and the state’s answer has been to narrow the goal: get a real, operating high-speed line running between two Valley cities before extending toward Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Awarding the track-and-systems package is the moment the project shifts from pouring concrete to building something trains can actually use. It won’t quiet the critics who question the full system’s cost, but a running railroad by 2033 would give the program its first tangible proof of concept.

Project Team & Details