California’s high-speed rail project is moving into a pivotal phase, with the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority outlining its anticipated 2026 milestones during the Board of Directors meeting on November 20.
CEO Ian Choudri detailed the upcoming steps the project will take as it bids to push closer to operational readiness, even as federal funding questions loom over its future.
Why it Matters
The California High-Speed Rail project, intended to link San Francisco and Los Angeles, remains the only active bullet train construction effort in the United States. Its progress is critical to California’s climate and infrastructure goals but has faced years of delays, scrutiny over costs, and now an ongoing dispute over $4 billion in federal funding.
What To Know
In his report, CEO Ian Choudri set out these milestones and accomplishments expected in 2026:
- Railhead facility ready for operationalization
- Clean Energy Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) & procurement
- Commoditized rail materials begin delivery
- Co-development partnership awarded & onboarded
- New approach to solicit program delivery services launched by mid-year
- Track and systems construction contract awarded
- 119-mile civil works substantially completed
- High-speed track laying begins
The business plan envisions releasing a draft in February and final approval by May 2026, focusing on revenue growth, cost reduction, and expanding private investment.
Partnerships with local agencies—such as Metrolink and the Transbay Joint Powers Authority—are aimed at optimizing costs and ridership.
CEO Choudri has emphasized a cooperative approach to accelerate delivery and meet financial targets. Legislative and administrative actions, including changes to permitting and exemptions for clean power infrastructure, remain under consideration.
What People Are Saying
In an interview with Smart Cities Dive in October 2025, CEO Ian Choudri referenced improvements made since his appointment in 2024. “My instruction to our leadership was to look at every opportunity that could help this project to get further streamlined so that we can build it as fast as we can. We improved the design criteria and brought it in line with European and Japanese high-speed rail system design standards.”
Regarding funding and private partnerships, he added: “We released requests for expression of interest from the industry of P3 (public-private partnership) groups, and we got 30 responses from 30 different entities. Six or seven are the largest investors, concessionaires that have shown extreme interest. They were waiting for legislative action. Now they know that the funding is there, so in November we are going to be soliciting the P3 investors, and we will [select] the most qualified team by, I would say, May or June of next year.”
On the project’s overall trajectory, Choudri said: “At this point, it’s really ‘build more and go forward.’ We will hire a contractor who will start laying tracks next year. We are now about to finish 120 miles of the civil works by the end of 2026. This is the plan. This is what we are doing. Now you can watch us [to see] if we are delivering our plan or not and hold us accountable.”
What Happens Next
With preparations for high-speed tracklaying beginning in 2026 and substantial completion of 119 miles of civil works, the next phase will hinge on the ongoing legal dispute over the clawback of $4 billion in federal funds by President Donald Trump’s administration. Court proceedings are in early stages and a ruling timeline remains uncertain. Meanwhile, the Authority plans to proceed with the awarding of major contracts and onboarding private partners. The outcome of both the legal case and partnership solicitations will likely set the project’s trajectory for years to come.