Balfour Beatty to work on 'most ambitious' US infrastructure project

Specialist engineers Balfour will work on the ongoing California rail project which is breaking all records for West Coast transit.

Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group announces that the California High-Speed Rail Authority has awarded a two-year £78 million (US$120 million) contract extension to Parsons Brinckerhoff, its professional services division, for programme management services on the California High-Speed Rail project.

One of the largest, most ambitious public transportation programmes in U.S. history, th e project will allow passengers to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco at speeds capable of over 200 miles per hour, making the trip in under three hours, compared to almost six hours by automobile. The first phase of the planned 800-mile network will run from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area through California’s Central Valley, with subsequent phases connecting to San Diego and Sacramento.

“The California High-Speed Rail System will transform the way Californians travel while alleviating freeway and airport congestion, reducing carbon emissions, and enhancing the state’s economic competitiveness,” explained Andrew McNaughton, Balfour Beatty Chief Executive. “With funding now in place, construction of the initial segment in the Central Valley is on target to proceed this summer.”

Parsons Brinckerhoff has served as the project’s programme manager since 2006 and is assisting the California High Speed Rail Authority with all aspects of the programme, including planning, environmental review, preliminary engineering, and testing and commissioning. Other key responsibilities include developing the criteria and technical standards that will define high-speed train systems, procurement of system-wide design-build contracts, and supporting the Authority on a range of project development activities, including economic impact analyses, business planning and grants.

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