Brightline West broke ground, now the high-speed train is on the clock for 2028 Olympics
Getting from Las Vegas to Southern California in a high-speed bullet train might sound like a thing of the future, but Brightline West is working on making it a reality.
Construction is currently under way for Brightline West, a 218-mile railway system that will connect a Los Angeles suburb to Sin City, turning a 4-hour car ride into a 2-hour high speed train ride.
The metal on the tracks won't be dry or operational until 2028, just in time for the Summer Olympic Games which are set to take place in Los Angeles then.
It took an estimated $12 billion to make this “dream” a reality, with Brightline securing $3 billion in federal funds in December and another $2.5 billion in private bonds from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“People have been dreaming of high-speed rail in America for decades – and now, with billions of dollars of support made possible …. it’s finally happening,” Pete Buttigieg, secretary of transportation said Monday.
What is Brightline West?
Brightline West is a years-long eco-transportation project by Brightline that will connect Nevada to Southern California via a 218-mile railway system.
Fully electric and zero emission trains will make the trek, reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour.
Brightline West route and map, Rancho Cucamonga among stops
Brightline West’s high-speed rail will make plenty of stops along its 218-mile route from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga. Victor Valley and Hesperia are among the stops included on the trip.
Brightline says the route, which has full environmental clearance, will run along I-15.
Wes Edens to connect other ‘city pairs’ in future
Wes Edens, Brightline’s founder, called the project “historic.”
Brightline West is set to “lay the foundation for a new industry,” even if it's long overdue.
“This is a proud moment … where we break ground on America’s first high-speed rail system … But the blueprint we’ve created with Brightline will allow us to repeat this model in other city pairs around the country.”
Brightline West is just the latest example of connecting city pairs that are too short to fly and too far to drive” across the country, with a similar project completed in 2018 to connect Florida Central and South Florida.
Contributing: James Powel
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brightline West broke ground; passengers planned for 2028
