Texas Central signs agreement with Kiewit, Mass. Electric Construction to prepare for installation of Texas high-speed train

A bullet train connecting Portland, Ore., to Vancouver, British Columbia, is being talked about in the Washington state legislature.

David C. Lester

Today, Texas Central, developer of the Texas High-Speed Train, continues the momentum toward construction by announcing an agreement with one of the nation’s top train system installation firms Mass. Electric Construction Co., a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation. Mass. Electric’s work focuses on installing the core system, critical safety elements which include all necessary power, signaling and communications equipment. The company is the latest addition to the team of world-class partners Texas Central has assembled to build the first true high-speed train in the U.S., which will connect Houston and North Texas in just 90 minutes including one stop in the Brazos Valley.

The Early Contract Involvement (ECI) agreement with Mass. Electric covers work through the end of 2019 to define the scope, execution plan, schedule and price for a construction contract, which is expected to be signed later this year. This agreement is the most recent milestone towards the construction phase of building the high-speed train, which is expected in 2020.

The addition of Mass. Electric is another example of Texas Central’s integrated approach ensuring all parts of construction and operations are married together seamlessly both for safety and for efficient and cost-effective operations. The core system that will be installed by Mass. Electric is a key component of the N700S Shinkansen technology being deployed for the Texas High-Speed Train and part of what makes this project so unique. Using a “complete system approach” means from the beginning everything is designed and engineered to work together as an integrated unit – the trains, the infrastructure and the supporting high-speed rail technologies.

“The Shinkansen total system approach has created performance unparalleled in the industry, having transported over 10 billion people safely,” said Carlos F. Aguilar, CEO, Texas Central. “Marrying the experience of Mass. Electric with the dedication to safety of an integrated system, brings the project one step closer to construction and operation.”

Specifically, under a Core Systems Installation Agreement, Mass. Electric would install the systems that supply and distribute electrical power for running the train and related equipment, signaling and control of the trains, and communications, to ensure the trains, the tracks and operators all communicate with one another and with network operations.

“This project draws on our extensive experience in delivering high-quality rail systems safely and effectively,” said Mark Williams, project director at Mass. Electric. “We are excited to play a key role in the nation’s first high-speed train project.”

Mass. Electric represents a 55-year tradition of outstanding performance on some of the nation’s most high-profile transportation projects. To date, Mass. Electric has completed over $4 billion of transportation projects nationwide, including the Phase 2 Houston LRT, the DART Green Line in Dallas, Union Station in Denver, and the Miami International Airport Automated People Mover.

The Texas system will be based on Central Japan Railway’s Tokaido most-advanced Shinkansen N700S train system, the world’s safest mass transportation system. The N700S is currently being tested in Japan with plans for full operations in advance of the Tokyo Olympics. The system has transported billions of passengers in over 55 years with a perfect record of zero passenger fatalities or injuries from operations, and an impeccable on-time performance record.

The project will create an estimated $36 billion in economic benefits statewide over the next 25 years, including the creation of 10,000 direct jobs per year during peak construction and 1,500 permanent jobs when fully operational. Texas Central recognizes diversity of thought, background and ethnicity are vital to this project’s sustained success and are committed to the inclusion of Texas-based, small, rural, minority-, woman-, veteran- and disabled individual-owned businesses by offering fair and competitive opportunities to bid and participate in building and operating the Texas High-Speed Train.

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ABOUT TEXAS CENTRAL
Texas Central is developing a new high-speed train that will connect North Texas, the Brazos Valley and Houston, using proven, world-class technology. The 90-minute trip will provide a safe, reliable and productive transportation alternative. The company’s market-led approach is backed by investors, not government grants, a new business model for infrastructure advances. Texas Central and its affiliated entities will be responsible for the system’s design, finance, construction, operation and maintenance. Texas Central recognizes diversity of thought, background and ethnicity are vital to this project’s sustained success and are committed to the inclusion of Texas-based, small, rural, minority-, woman-, veteran- and disabled individual-owned businesses by offering fair and competitive opportunities to bid and participate in building and operating the Texas high-speed train. See more at www.texascentral.com.

A Texas Central news release.  texascentral.com

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