California High-Speed Rail Approves $772.1 Million Procurement of 3 Siemens AP220 Trainsets

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 28, the Board of Directors of the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) unanimously approved a high-speed train procurement and related services contract (No. HSR23-18) with Siemens Mobility, with a contract ceiling of $772.1 million, for the manufacture, delivery, commissioning, and 10-year maintenance services of 3 American Pioneer AP220 high-speed trainsets. In addition, the Board authorized the Chief Executive Officer to pay up to an additional $63.7 million in import tariffs.

Train manufacture, delivery, and commissioning account for $281.7 million, corresponding to 3 AP220 trainsets comprising 21 cars in total, equivalent to approximately $13.4 million per car in manufacturing cost; maintenance and related services account for $284.1 million, covering 10 years of comprehensive maintenance from 2030 to 2040, paid monthly based on availability and reliability; contingency costs account for $206.3 million, for price escalation, exchange rate fluctuations, taxes and fees, and other expenditures. Tariffs are estimated separately: because the first 3 trainsets will be designed, manufactured, and factory-tested in Germany and then imported to California, CHSRA estimates them at approximately 20% of the train procurement cost, establishing a $63.7 million contingency to be paid by the Chief Executive Officer directly to the U.S. government or through a customs broker. Combined, the contract ceiling and tariff ceiling bring the maximum project-related funding arrangement to approximately $835.8 million. The aforementioned $13.4 million corresponds only to the manufacturing contract and does not include maintenance, spare parts, or contingency costs.

Design work will begin in November 2026; deliveries will start in late 2029; dynamic testing will begin on CHSRA tracks in spring 2030; train acceptance will be completed in the third quarter of 2032; the target is to support the opening of the 275-kilometer initial operating segment from Merced to Bakersfield in 2033. A testing and commissioning window of approximately one and a half years is reserved between acceptance and entry into service.

The AP220 is based on the Siemens Velaro Novo platform, with a 7-car formation, approximately 202 meters long, a designed maximum speed of 354 km/h, 8.2 megawatts of distributed power, and batteries to provide emergency traction and maintain basic services such as air conditioning in the event of catenary power loss; two trainsets can be coupled for operation. The car body is aluminum alloy, meeting U.S. federal Tier III crash and fire safety standards (applicable to operations above 200 km/h), with a design life of 30 years or 20 million kilometers. Each trainset has at least 450 seats, a 2+2 layout with 990 mm seat pitch, power outlets and USB-C ports at every seat, and an accessible restroom in each car. To control costs, CHSRA is adopting Siemens' standard configuration, with interior choices limited to paint scheme, colors, and certain materials.

Alstom and Siemens Mobility were prequalified in August 2023, but Alstom did not submit a final proposal, making Siemens the sole bidder. The contract includes options to purchase up to 19 additional trainsets at a unit price of $62.1 million; maintenance services can be extended in 5-year increments up to a maximum of 30 years. Both additional purchases and extensions require separate submission to the Board for approval and are not included in this authorization.

Following contract approval, the CHSRA project baseline and budget increase by $195.9 million, primarily from moving the 10-year maintenance, spare parts, and comprehensive service costs previously listed in the operating expense plan into the capital plan.