Press Release

PRIVATE INDUSTRY LOOKING TO HIGH-SPEED RAIL AS JOB CREATOR 

Hundreds gather in Fresno for industry forum 

FRESNO, Calif. – Hundreds of representatives of the private industry gathered in Fresno, Calif., Thursday to learn more about the jobs that will be created by California’s high-speed rail project – the largest of its kind in the nation. 

Conservative estimates place the number of jobs created for every $1 billion in infrastructure spending at about 20,000. The Authority already has more than $6 billion lined up to begin construction along the Central Valley “backbone” of the system next year. The first request for qualifications from prospective bidders for the initial construction segment will be released this month. 

The entire project will be funded by a combination of state bond funds approved in 2008, federal funding grants, local funding and public-private partnerships. 

Thursday’s high-speed rail industry forum was co-sponsored by the California High-Speed Rail Authority, the Economic Development Corporation Serving Fresno County and California State University Fresno. 

“One of the things on California’s docket that stands to have the greatest impact on our economy and our way of life is high-speed rail,” said Roelof van Ark, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, the state agency charged with overseeing the project. “It competes very favorably with driving and flying over distances of a few hundred miles and – particularly important in California – it creates tens of thousands of jobs in both the short term and the long term.” 

The industry forum afforded the private sector several opportunities: to learn more about the project, the bidding process and how they can participate; to interact with and ask questions of California High-Speed Rail Authority officials; and to connect entrepreneurs and small businesses with “prime” contractors to discuss working together. 

“There is going to be work for everybody as an impact of high-speed rail,” Steve Geil, president and CEO of the EDC Serving Fresno County, told the crowd. “This is huge. You’re not competitors competing with each other for work – there’s a place for all of us.” 

Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea called the project an “economic game changer” for the region. 

“It’s going to change the way we think about travel from a work standpoint,” Perea said. “Imagine the opportunities that arise when we can travel quickly and comfortably around the state. … these companies wouldn’t be here if they didn’t see what this means.” 

Video from the event and the project management team’s in-depth presentation on the initial construction segment and the procurement process will be available on the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s website at www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov. 

California’s High-Speed Train Project
  

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is developing an 800-mile high-speed train system that will operate at speeds of up to 220 miles per hour, connecting the state’s major urban centers, including the Bay Area, Central Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego. Initial infrastructure construction will begin in the Central Valley, the backbone of the system, in 2012. The project is being funded through a voter-approved state bond, federal funding grants, local funding and public-private partnerships.