Brightline West

future high-speed rail route between Las Vegas and Southern California.

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
Overview
Service typeHigh-speed rail
StatusUnder construction
LocaleCalifornia, Nevada
PredecessorDesertXpress
XpressWest
Desert Wind (Amtrak)
First service2028
Current operator(s)Brightline
Websitebrightlinewest.com
Route
StartRancho Cucamonga, California, US
EndLas Vegas, Nevada, US
Distance travelled218 miles (351 km)[1]
Average journey timeAbout 2h 10m[1]
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line at 25 kV (AC)
Operating speed
  • Top:
  • 180 mph (290 km/h)
  • Average:
  • 101 mph (165 km/h)

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
  1. 1.0 1.1 "Brightline West | Brightline".
  2. 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.
  3. "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.
  4. Akers, Mick (November 16, 2022). "High-speed rail project construction could begin in '23". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  5. "US infrastructure plan spurs talk of Vegas-LA rail service". AP News. April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2024.