AECOM to help manage California High-Speed Rail project

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has announced that a joint venture that includes AECOM has been selected to provide program management support for the much delayed California High-Speed Rail project.

The rail project is currently under active construction and advanced design in California, US, along 171 miles between the cities of Merced and Bakersfield. When complete, California High-Speed Rail will connect the 500-mile stretch between the Los Angeles region with the San Francisco Bay Area in less than three hours.

Costs for the high-speed rail project have ballooned since it was first approved in 2008. It was originally scheduled to open in 2029, but it has been beset by a number of delays and disagreements. The cost is now anticipated to be more than US$105 billion – double the initial estimate.

“We look forward to working with the Authority to help deliver this important investment that is poised to be one of the most transformative infrastructure programs in US history,” said Lara Poloni, AECOM’s president.

“The program’s foundational environmental and social purpose will help drive sustainable mobility across the state while providing a safer, more reliable option that meets California’s twenty-first-century transportation needs.”

As well as Aecom, the consortium includes Fluor, Atlas Technical Consultants, Egis Rail, Turner & Townsend, McMillen Jacobs Associates, Jaquith Consulting Group, and 26 SMEs.

The joint venture is expected to implement an operating model that facilitates the successful delivery of a full array of program delivery services, such as program planning and strategy; environmental and engineering management; infrastructure delivery; supply chain management; and federal and state funding support.