NEWS RELEASE: Board Members, Public Take Tour of High-Speed Train Interior Concepts and Get Up Close Look at Station Models for First Time

March 1, 2024

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – All aboard, including the Board! The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors this week stepped off their usual dais and onto a figurative train platform, holding their meeting in the same room as the project’s preliminary trainset white mockups and early conceptual 3D station renderings —a special first-time opportunity for the public, no train tickets required.

Here’s what some at the Board meeting had to say:

“The station is the rebirth of Downtown Fresno … It is the focal point of the growth and revitalization of downtown. The economic implications are astounding.”
– Authority Board Chairman Tom Richards

“We talk a lot about the economic impact of the construction, but as we all know the operation of this system will last far longer and the impact, economically, will be seen for decades.”
– Anthony Williams, Authority Board Member

“It’s going to be a game changer for the Valley and for Fresno. I’m thankful we’re going to have the first high-speed station in the nation here in Downtown Fresno.”
– Jerry Dyer, Mayor of Fresno

“Our city has been hard at work preparing for the construction of a world-class high-speed rail station.”
– Karen Goh, Mayor of Bakersfield

“High-Speed Rail staff has done a really fantastic job of keeping us informed and involved in the process.”
– Jason Waters, Deputy City Manager, City of Hanford

“We are excited and in support of the high-speed rail, as well as the expansion of ACE and Amtrak.”
– See Lee, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Merced County

Feedback received in focus groups from federal, state, and local officials and community partners, like students, disability rights advocates and more, will be part of the formal design requirements that will guide procurement of the actual trains and continued station design.

Missed this opportunity? This is not the end of the line for the mockups. The public can also visit them at this summer’s California State Fair, held annually at Sacramento’s very own Cal Expo, while procurement advances.

And if you can’t visit then, you can watch a virtual tour here. The mockups are also featured in the Authority’s 2023 Top 10 Moments video, and in the Fall 2023 Construction Update.

In general, the interiors and their seating arrangements will have more space than most seating in airplanes – and no need to check a bag!

Federal grants awarded in 2023 will help fund train procurement, station design and continued construction in the Central Valley.

There are currently more than 25 active construction sites in California’s Central Valley, with the Authority having also fully environmentally cleared 422 miles of the high-speed rail program from the Bay Area to Los Angeles County.

The following link contains recent video, animations, photography, 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.