In the more than two years since its official groundbreaking, the high-speed rail project has created hundreds of well-paying jobs for workers throughout the Central Valley.
Fernando Madrigal, Jr. personifies the opportunities associated with high-speed rail. After 12 years of service with the Marine Corps, Fernando found work as a security guard. He then signed up for a 10-week training program sponsored by PG&E to introduce workers to the various constructions trades.
Fernando settled on a career path as an electrician and worked his way up to a third-year apprentice union electrician with Local 100 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
He was hired by AC Electric Company in early 2017 and has worked on the high-speed rail project ever since. He helped build a new administration building and a school-bus refueling station for the Kings Canyon Unified School District, and he’s currently part of a crew that’s working near the site of the new Clinton Avenue Bridge, which is being rebuilt as part of the realignment of State Route 99. Madrigal’s crew is identifying underground utility locations and setting up power connections for new traffic signals.