The California High-Speed Rail Authority has signed a co-development agreement with an international consortium that will explore solutions to accelerate the expansion of California’s high-speed rail network. As part of Momentum Alliance Partners, Keolis and SNCF Voyageurs will provide expertise in rail operations and maintenance.
California High-Speed Rail Authority, the agency responsible for California’s high-speed rail project, has signed a co-development agreement with Momentum Alliance Partners, an international consortium of companies specializing in infrastructure, investment, engineering, rail operations, and systems integration.
The agreement aims to evaluate solutions for accelerating the expansion of the future high-speed network, attracting private investment, and exploring possible public-private partnership models.
The consortium includes companies such as Plenary Americas, CDPQ Infra, Keolis, SNCF Voyageurs, Jacobs, Sener, SYSTRA, Setec, Arup, and Steer.
The partnership is now entering a co-development phase that could last up to 30 months. During this period, the companies will analyze strategies for expanding the network beyond the section currently under construction between Merced and Bakersfield.
A Project with a Troubled History
The agreement comes at a sensitive time for California’s high-speed rail project, which has been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and funding uncertainties.
For this very reason, the involvement of an international consortium with expertise in operations, engineering, financing, and infrastructure delivery is being presented as a potential way to accelerate the network’s expansion.
The consortium will evaluate infrastructure development phases, implementation models, financing strategies, operational concepts, and opportunities for private-sector participation in future sections of the network.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority emphasizes that the agreement is collaborative in nature and differs from a traditional consulting contract. The Authority aims to leverage private-sector expertise to identify models that can accelerate the system’s completion.
Keolis and SNCF Voyageurs: Expertise in Operations and Maintenance
Within Momentum Alliance Partners, operations and maintenance expertise will be provided through a dedicated joint venture between Keolis, a French public transportation operator with rail operations in several countries, and SNCF Voyageurs, the passenger transport division of the French rail group SNCF.
Keolis is described as the largest contract commuter rail operator in the United States and has nearly two decades of experience working with U.S. public transportation authorities.
SNCF Voyageurs brings French expertise in operating high-speed trains, including the TGV and Eurostar, as well as over 40 years of know-how in the operation and maintenance of high-speed services.
“This project marks a historic milestone for rail in North America, and we are proud that Keolis is at its heart. High-speed rail represents the future of sustainable mobility,” said Frédéric Van Heems, chairman of the Keolis Group.
For his part, Christophe Fanichet, chairman and CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, said that participating in the consortium selected by the California authority represents an important step in expanding the company’s international expertise.
Expansion Beyond Merced–Bakersfield
The Merced–Bakersfield segment is the section currently under construction as part of the California high-speed rail project.
However, the new agreement focuses on future phases—namely, expanding the system beyond this initial segment. The analysis will cover both technical and operational aspects, as well as financing options and opportunities for private-sector involvement.
Ian Choudri, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, stated that the agreement reflects the market’s confidence in the project’s strategy and in the long-term potential of high-speed rail as a transformative investment for California.
He added that, as work progresses and the authority prepares to begin installing the high-speed rail line this year, such partnerships can help assess how private-sector expertise, financing, and delivery models could accelerate the system’s expansion.
A consortium with major projects in its portfolio
Momentum Alliance Partners is a consortium with experience in large-scale international transportation projects.
Examples cited include the REM de Montréal, the automated metro network in the Montreal area; the Grand Paris Express, the major metro expansion project in the Paris region; as well as sections of California’s high-speed rail programs and Brightline West.
California is thus seeking to bring international expertise to the project at a time when the stakes are no longer just the construction of the first segment, but also finding a viable model for expanding the network.
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