The much-anticipated construction of the first high-speed passenger train between Los Angeles and Las Vegas got underway Monday — promising to ferry passengers between the two cities in half the the time it now takes to drive through the desert.
The $12 billion project is being spearheaded by Brightline West, which will lay 218 miles of track between a new terminal in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and another station just south of the Las Vegas Strip by 2028, according to Fortune.
In a statement, Brightline Holdings founder and chair Wes Edens said that breaking ground on the rail on Monday — thanks to $6.5 billion in backing from Joe Biden’s administration, plus $2.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds — was laying “the foundation for a new industry.”
Brightline also won federal authorization in 2020 to sell $1 billion in similar bonds, Fortune reported.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will reportedly participate in the rail’s Monday groundbreaking.
Upon its completion, Brightline West is expecting to welcome millions of passengers aboard the high-speed train, which will travel up to 200 miles per hour between the two major US cities in just over two hours — about half the time it takes to drive between LA and Vegas.
The high speeds are comparable to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains, whose network includes nearly 2,000 miles of lines on the country’s four major islands.
Brightline’s estimates are that 11 million passengers will take the electric-powered train one way per year, meaning there will be 30,000 travelers per day. The trains will also have restrooms, Wi-Fi, and food and beverage.
There will also be the option to check luggage — with ticket fares with or without large bags anticipated to be well below the cost of flying across the Mojave Desert.
It wasn’t immedately clear what a ticket aboard Brightline West will cost, though airline costs range between $80 and $230 depending on the time of the year.
Passenger traffic at Sin City’s Harry Reid International Airport set a record of 57.6 million people in 2023, Fortune reported.
Meanwhile, an average of more than 44,000 automobiles per day crossed the California-Nevada state line on Interstate 15 in 2023, according to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority data — perhaps because of the Super Bowl and Formula 1 Grand Prix race that both took place in Las Vegas last year.
Las Vegas — which has nearly 3 million residents — draws more than 40 million visitors per year.
Brightline CEO Mike Reininger has said the goal is to have high-speed trains operating in time for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Almost the full distance of the forthcoming train will be along the median of I-15, according to Fortune, which begins in San Diego and runs through Los Angeles before passing through Nevada and into parts of Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Montana.
At this point, only one station stop along the route will take place in San Bernardino County’s Victorville area, per Fortune.
At a later date, Brightline West has said it may add more stops in Palmdale, Calif., and other US metros that are too close to fly between but too far to drive to, though details have yet to be finalized.
The goal is to relieve congestion on I-15, where motorists often get caught in slow-moving traffic.
Representatives for Brightline West did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Florida-based Brightline already operates a Miami-to-Orlando high-speed line, where trains reach speeds of up to 125 miles per hour.
The service launched in 2018 and expanded to include service to the Orlando International Airport in September 2022, Fortune reported. It now offers 16 round trips daily, with one-way tickets to travel the 235-mile-long track going for about $80.
Another fast train in the US include Amtrack’s Acels, which can reach 150 miles per hour while transporting passengers between Boston and Washington, DC — but rails aren’t considered “high speed” unless they top at least 160 miles per hour.
Jessica Roberts is a seasoned business writer who deciphers the intricacies of the corporate world. With a focus on finance and entrepreneurship, she provides readers with valuable insights into market trends, startup innovations, and economic developments.
