USA: Following the sketches published last autumn, the California High-Speed Rail Authority, CHSRA, has released renderings of a dining car, family area, and bike storage in its future train on the Merced–Bakersfield line.
In addition, the CHSRA, together with Deutsche Bahn, has built a full-scale mock-up of the train car interior, which has already been included in the request for proposals sent to Alstom and Siemens Mobility. The contract with one of the companies is to be inked by the end of the year. Previously, both manufacturers said they were not ready to fully localise the production of high-speed trains in the USA.
Rendering of a family area in a future train on the Merced–Bakersfield line. Source: CHSRA
Six trains with a maximum speed of 350 km/h are to be purchased. Together with 30-year maintenance, their cost is estimated at $516 mln. The first two prototypes are to be ready in 2028, the rest in 2029, with the launch planned for 2030–2033.
