VIDEO RELEASE: High-Speed Rail Empowers Students to Pursue Future Rail Careers

May 25, 2023

FRESNO, Calif. –The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) today released a video celebrating Fresno State’s first annual K-12 Railroad Model Competition. The video highlights enthusiastic elementary, middle, and high-school students from the Central Valley as they designed railroad track models, created operation plans and delivered presentations on their work as it relates to California’s rich rail history for a competition spanning two semesters.

Click to watch video.

Through the student outreach effort, I Will Ride, the Authority served as a sponsor of the Fresno State Transportation Institute (FSTI) competition. Four Authority senior level engineers volunteered as judges, providing expertise and insights on the students’ work, which included planning, constructing and operating a rail system.

Click here to see the video and see the work and dedication of the students and support from the Authority and the FSTI.

The Authority’s partnership with FSTI for the student competition is part of a larger effort through the Authority’s award winning I Will Ride student outreach and education program dedicated to connecting students to information and career opportunities on the nation’s first high-speed rail system currently under construction.

To date, California’s High-Speed Rail project has created more than 10,000 construction jobs. That number will only grow as the project progresses, and some of these promising young minds may in fact join that number.

The Authority has begun work to extend the 119 miles under construction to 171 miles of future electrified high-speed rail from Merced to Bakersfield. There are more than 30 active construction sites in California’s Central Valley, with the Authority having environmentally cleared 422 miles of the high-speed rail program from the Bay Area to the Los Angeles Basin.

For more on construction, visit: www.buildhsr.com

The following link contains photos and recent videos, animations, press center resources, and latest renderings: https://hsra.app.box.com/s/vyvjv9hckwl1dk603ju15u07fdfir2q8

These files are all available for free use, courtesy of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.