Work for the first-ever high-speed rail system in the nation is underway in California, creating tremendous demand for expertise of all types, including geotechnical drilling. “It is a big deal,” says Byron Anderson, PG, CEG. His geotechnical firm, Kleinfelder, is contracted by the California High-Speed Rail Authority to carry out subsurface investigations as a part of preliminary evaluation for the construction of underground rail tunnels.
The high-speed rail system will ultimately consist of more than 800 miles of rail, with up to 24 stations. By 2029, it will run from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in under three hours at speeds of more than 200 miles per hour. It will eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego. The project has been broken into 10 sections to account for its expansive nature.