California High-Speed Rail – The Future of Rail Transportation

The California High-Speed Rail Project is the largest HSR undertaking in North America. The blueprint includes a labor agreement with 13 rail unions and PLA for the unionized building trades.

While highly skilled rail unions perform all traditional work operating trains, the construction of tracks and stations is the responsibility of the unionized building trades. The on-the-job union members of the Building and Construction Trade Council’s will account for over 11,000 union construction jobs.

Phase 1 of the project will cover 500 miles and run service from San Francisco to the Los Angeles Basin in under three hours. Upon full completion, the project will stretch 800 miles, extending to Sacramento and San Diego. The zero-emission trains will be 100% powered by renewable energy, reaching speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority estimates the project has created approximately more than $8 billion in total labor income earned by workers on the project and nearly $22 billion in total economic activity. The Authority estimates that the completion of the 171-mile Merced to Bakersfield section would result in economic activity of $70.3 billion. Estimates show the complete build-out of the 494-mile Phase 1 System between San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim, via the underway Central Valley section, would cumulatively create total economic activity of $221.8 billion.

“As the nation’s largest transportation labor union federation, we are proud to support monumental projects like the California High-Speed Rail Project, which will deliver a modern, efficient, and green transit system while putting skilled union members to work,” said Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO.

The future is now for construction of High Speed Rail networks  the United States.