The train to Vegas is moving. Now that it has started, unlike the High Speed Rail train to nowhere, it looks like it will get finished and at a quick pace. This is a public private partnership—unlike the train to nowhere that has ZERO private investors—even after 15 years.
“”In some instances, short term closures of freeway shoulders will be required,” read the release. “All work will be done in compliance with applicable environmental regulations and in coordination with Caltrans [California Department of Transportation] and the Nevada Department of Transportation.”
Construction on the rail line began last month and will stretch 218 miles, from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, California, which links to a commuter rail to downtown Los Angeles. There is also a station planned for Victor Valley, California.”
California’s High-Speed Rail Gets Major Update
By Kaitlin Lewis, Newsweek, 5/23/24 https://www.newsweek.com/californias-high-speed-rail-gets-update-1903267
Brightline West announced an updated list of its field investigation sites as construction continues on a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California.
According to a release from the rail company on Monday, four additional project areas have been identified “within the proposed rail corridor” along Interstate 15. Field investigation work—which consists of geotechnical borings and samplings, utility potholing and land surveying—will primarily take place during daytime hours. Some work may be conducted at night to “minimize” traffic interruptions, Brightline West said.
“In some instances, short term closures of freeway shoulders will be required,” read the release. “All work will be done in compliance with applicable environmental regulations and in coordination with Caltrans [California Department of Transportation] and the Nevada Department of Transportation.”
Construction on the rail line began last month and will stretch 218 miles, from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, California, which links to a commuter rail to downtown Los Angeles. There is also a station planned for Victor Valley, California.
The rail line is hoping to reach speeds over 186 mph, which would put it on par with Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains. Brightline West’s sister company has already laid down a high-speed train in Florida that connects Miami and Orlando. That rail line reaches speeds of up to 125 mph.
The rail line between Las Vegas and California is set to open in 2028, in time for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. According to Brightline West’s website, tickets are expected to be priced “on par with the cost of gas and parking, but without the stress and extra time in traffic and other things that can add time and money to your trip.”
Newsweek reached out to Brightline West via email Tuesday afternoon for additional information.
A new high-speed rail project in California also received a $3.4 billion boost from the federal government on Monday. The rail line, called “The Portal,” aims to extend California’s existing tracks to the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco. The additional funds, which were announced by Transbay Joint Powers Authority and California U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi, brings the project to two-thirds of its funding estimate for construction.
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High-speed rail routes have been proposed to connect Northern, Central and Southern California. The Biden administration has also endorsed building a rail line that links Dallas to Houston and Forth Worth in Texas. That proposal is being developed in collaboration with Amtrak, the nation’s largest passenger railroad company.
