A revised draft business plan released yesterday by California’s High-Speed Rail Authority outlines a new work schedule to accommodate for Covid-19 delays to completing a Merced-Fresno-Bakersfield interim service line through the Central Valley. Substantial completion on the first 22-mile segment (CP4) led by California Rail Builders is now expected in about 15 months. Construction packages 1, (Tutor-Perini/Zachry/Parsons) and 2-3 (Dragados/Flatiron) and will be extended into 2023 with trains to be tested starting in 2025, and in service between Merced to Bakersfield by the end of the decade.
Costs for the three construction packages are up by $330 million over the current budget of $12.4 billion. Because of the risk and uncertainty that lays ahead, HSRA is proposing a “considerable” increase in contingency budget.