Brightline West
Overview | |
---|---|
Service type | High-speed rail |
Status | Under construction |
Locale | California, Nevada |
Predecessor | DesertXpress XpressWest Desert Wind (Amtrak) |
First service | 2028 |
Current operator(s) | Brightline |
Website | brightlinewest.com |
Route | |
Start | Rancho Cucamonga, California, US |
End | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
Distance travelled | 218 miles (351 km)[1] |
Average journey time | About 2h 10m[1] |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Electrification | Overhead line at 25 kV (AC) |
Operating speed |
|
Brightline West is an a future high-speed rail line in the United States. It will run from Las Vegas in Nevada to Rancho Cucamonga in California. At that station, passengers can connect with the Metrolink commuter rail, which can get people to Los Angeles. The high-speed rail line will also stop at Victor Valley and Hesperia. Construction on the line started on April 22, 2024.[2] It will open in 2028.[3] In December 2023, the United States Department of Transportation gave Brightline West $3 billion for the project.[4]
Brightline West plans to improve travel between Southern California and Las Vegas, a popular travel route. No passenger train service currently goes to Las Vegas. The main highway to go between those places is Interstate 15. It is often congested. The new line will mostly run next to or in the middle of Interstate 15. It will take about 2 hours to go its entire route.
When the line starts operation, it will bring back passenger train service to Las Vegas. The last time Las Vegas had it was with the Amtrak Desert Wind train in the 1990s. It ran between Los Angeles and Las Vegas and stopped operations in 1997.[5]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Brightline West | Brightline".
- ↑ Akers, Mick (April 19, 2024). "Brightline West to break ground on Las Vegas high-speed rail project". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ↑ "Brightline West Breaks Ground On America's First High-Speed Rail Project Connection Las Vegas to Southern California | Brightline West". www.gobrightline.com. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ↑ Akers, Mick (November 16, 2022). "High-speed rail project construction could begin in '23". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ↑ "US infrastructure plan spurs talk of Vegas-LA rail service". AP News. April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2024.