June 9, 2026
Kiewit-Stacy Witbeck-Herzog Joint Venture Selected to Install Nation's First True High-Speed Rail Track and Systems
American-led consortium to begin high-speed rail track installation in California this year
The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s Board of Directors has approved the Kiewit-Stacy Witbeck-Herzog Joint Venture to install the electrified high-speed rail track and systems for the nation’s first true high-speed rail system, marking the transition from major civil construction to railway installation.
As a Joint Venture, the team will install the track, overhead contact system, train control and communications infrastructure needed to transform the guideway completed in the Central Valley into an electrified high-speed rail system capable of speeds up to 220 mph. The contract covers the 119 miles currently under construction and extends north and south to the future Merced and Bakersfield extensions. Modern Railway Systems (MRS) will lead rail signaling and communications systems as an integrated member of the delivery team, alongside Mass Electric and Herzog Technologies.
“This project represents a significant moment for our country and for our company. We are advancing America’s high-speed rail together, and I am both proud of the work we are doing and honored to be part of building something that will shape the future.”
George Furnanz, CEO, Stacy Witbeck
A competitive procurement process that began in November 2025 resulted in the award of the Track and Systems Construction Contract. The phased contract structure enables rail installation to begin as civil work is completed in each segment, speeding delivery and improving cost efficiency. The Authority also directly procured long-lead materials, including rail, concrete ties, and ballast, to keep installation on schedule.
Track installation at the 150-acre southern railhead facility in Kern County is complete. The facility will serve as the staging and distribution hub for high-speed track and systems installation and is prepared to receive freight deliveries of rail and other long-lead materials once work begins later this year.
“Bringing on board the team that will build California’s high-speed rail track and systems marks the moment this program transforms from major civil construction into delivering an operating railway. With the railhead track installation complete and many critical rail materials already under contract, we are now accelerating toward installing the first true high-speed rail track ever built in the Western Hemisphere and doing it in a way that delivers for California quickly, and economically.”
Ian Choudri, CEO, California High-Speed Rail Authority
Read the original press release from the California High-Speed Rail Authority