DESIGNS UNVEILED FOR CALIFORNIA'S HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Studios Foster + Partners, Arup and Page & Turnbull contributed to the design of four stations for the California High-Speed Rail, which will connect San Diego in the south of the state with Sacramento in the north, as well as a number of cities in between. As part of Phase 1 of the project, which will run from San Francisco to Los Angeles, the stations will be located in Merced, Fresno, Kings Tulare and Bakersfield.

According to Foster + Partners, the four Central Valley stations will be linked by an architectural language. "We are developing an architectural language for the four Central Valley stations, including soaring canopies that draw in fresh air and shield waiting passengers from harsh sunlight," said Foster + Partners head of studio Stefan Behling. "The station design reflects the sustainable ethos of the wider project."

The renderings show each station's exteriors and interiors capped by metallic bronze or matte white designs, integrated with louvred wood and stone walls, heavy columns and pergola-style roofs hanging over large entrances.

The project's Fresno station will include an elevated pedestrian crossing connecting Chinatown and Downtown Fresno Station near Mariposa Street, as well the restoration of the historic depot on site conducted by US architecture studio Page & Turnbull. Updates to the station will include bringing the building up to fire, life-safety, structural, seismic and accessibility codes, as well as the restoration of architectural features so that it can serve as an "ultramodern transportation center".

Located north of Fresno, the Merced station will also include a pedestrian bridge linking the city's downtown, and serve as the main connection to the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

The Kings Tulare station is pictured with an expansive outdoor plaza and is designed to create "a streamlined experience" for bus, car and bicycle traffic, with its services located in a rectangular volume directly beneath its tracks.

As the southern terminus of the line and the connection to Los Angeles and Anaheim, the Bakersfield station will feature a variety of shaded outdoor plazas, with renderings picturing outdoor amenities beneath elevated tracks.

Once completed the 119-mile Central Valley line will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than three hours, according to the team. Up to 24 stations are planned for the greater California High-Speed Rail, linking more than 800 miles of track. Phase 1 of the project refers to the completion of the 520-mile San Francisco to Anaheim route, while Phase 2 refers to extensions that will connect Sacramento and San Diego.

Images courtesy of Foster + Partners, via Dezeen