Watch: CHSRA Releases Renderings, Mock-Ups of Potential Train Interiors
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Among the potential seating options for CHSRA trainset interiors are premium “cocoon”-style seats. (Rendering Courtesy of CHSRA, Subject to Change)
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) last month hosted what it called “preliminary” mock-up tours of its trainset interiors for state and local leaders and other stakeholders, and released potential interior renderings.
The mockups and renderings, which CHSRA said are subject to change, show the potential space, amenities and seat arrangements. Highlighted are premium seating, including “cocoon”-style designs, and flex and comfort seating, plus family areas, accessible restrooms, and café cars.
“A key part of developing comprehensive train interiors is getting feedback from key stakeholders including regional partners, the ADA community, students and more,” according to CHSRA, which posted a video of the mock-ups on YouTube (see below). “Early 1:1 ratio mock-ups help bring this process to reality and are an essential step to create an iconic train car design that is state-of-the-art, customer-centric, and resilient, guided by broader goals of contributing to public transport in California that promotes sustainability, equity, and mobility.”
CHSRA in October reported that early train operator Deutsche Bahn had begun the process of assembling rough full-scale mockups of the trainset interiors. And last month—on the heels of the nearly $3.1 billion federal investment for California’s high-speed rail project—CHSRA announced that Alstom Transportation Inc. and Siemens Mobility Inc. had been shortlisted as qualified bidders for its trainsets, which will be capable of operating at speeds up to 220 mph.
California high-speed rail is currently under construction along 119 miles in the Central Valley, where there are more than 25 active job sites (see map below). Additional advanced design is proceeding on stations and the 52 miles of extensions into downtown Merced and into downtown Bakersfield. The 494-mile, Phase I system will extend from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim; 422 miles have already been environmentally cleared. The system could eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totaling 800 miles with up to 24 stations.
The 171-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield segment is anticipated to start operations around 2030.
In other CHSRA news, CEO Brian Kelly in January submitted his letter of resignation. Addressed to CHSRA Board Chair Tom Richards, Kelly wrote that “[m]y goal when I took this position in 2018 was to help stabilize the organization and improve performance such that policymakers would once again consider investing in the [high-speed rail] project,” according to a KTLA 5 report. “While there is more work to do, this goal has largely been achieved.”
