CALIFORNIA — Governor Gavin Newsom announced February 3 that California reached a key milestone in its high-speed rail project with the completion of the Southern Railhead Facility in Kern County.

The completion clears the way for the next phase of track installation, officials announced.

The 150-acre railhead site near Wasco will serve as the central logistics hub. It will be used to receive, store, and stage materials needed to build out the electrified high-speed rail system.

Completing the facility is a major milestone for the project, according to officials. It moves the work from planning and civil construction into the track-laying phase.

“We’re laying the foundation for cleaner, faster, and more connected transportation while investing in communities and creating good-paying jobs,” Newsom said.

Completion of the railhead allows California to begin staging materials for the first 119-mile segment of the planned route. These materials will be used to install track and systems between Bakersfield and Madera.

State transportation officials also said nearly 80 miles of guideway are complete, and dozens of major structures have been finished.

The completion comes one year after Newsom launched construction of the railhead facility. 

The rail authority has since opened bids for electrified high-speed rail systems, secured long-welded rail suppliers and key installation materials.

Bakersfield-to-Merced line to be completed by 2045

The project has faced delays and funding challenges over the years.

In 2025, the Trump administration moved to retract about $4 billion in federal funding previously committed to the high-speed rail project.

It alleged the state had failed to meet grant conditions and labelled the project a “boondoggle” that lacked a viable path to completion.

Newsom and state legislators condemned the action as politically motivated and harmful to the state’s infrastructure and jobs. They filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the funding termination as illegal.

By late 2025, state officials dropped their legal challenge and continued the project without federal support.

The complete 171-mile Bakersfield-to-Merced line is projected to be finished by 2045.