AECOM-Fluor joint venture to manage California High-Speed Rail project

To date the project has created more than 9,000 labor jobs

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has selected the AECOM-Fluor joint venture (JV) to provide Program Delivery Support (PDS) services for an amount not to exceed $400 million for a four-year term.

The rail project is currently under active construction and advanced design in California 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 $105 billion – double the initial estimate.

To date the project has created more than 9,000 labor jobs.

“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 U.S. 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 21st-century transportation needs.”

As well as AECOM and Fluor, the consortium includes Atlas Technical Consultants, Egis Rail, Turner & Townsend, McMillen Jacobs Associates, Jaquith Consulting Group, and 26 Small Business (SB)/Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE)/Disadvantaged Business Entity (DBE) firms.

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.

Trains on the route will run at speeds of approximately 200 mph, cutting travel time between Los Angeles and San Francisco to three hours.