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| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Service type | High-speed inter-city rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Under construction[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | California, Nevada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | DesertXpress XpressWest Desert Wind | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First service | 2028 (anticipated) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current operator(s) | Brightline | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | brightlinewest.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | Rancho Cucamonga, California, US Enterprise, Nevada, US | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stops | Victor Valley, Hesperia California, US | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance travelled | 218 miles (351 km)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average journey time | Approx. 2h 10m[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | Overhead line at 25 kV (AC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed |
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| Track owner(s) | DesertXpress Enterprises, LLC[3] (Fortress Investment Group)[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Brightline West is a privately run high-speed rail route, currently under construction, to link the Las Vegas Valley and Rancho Cucamonga in Greater Los Angeles through the California high desert. The line will connect with existing rail at Rancho Cucamonga station of Metrolink's San Bernardino Line, a commuter rail line in Southern California. The project is intended to provide an alternative to air and automobile travel between Southern California and Las Vegas, a popular leisure destination. In December 2023, the United States Department of Transportation awarded Brightline West a $3 billion grant as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Construction, initially expected to begin shortly after the grant was announced in 2023, began on April 22, 2024.[5][6][7][8] Revenue service is planned to start in 2028.[9]
The line was developed starting in 2005 as DesertXpress and has passed through several developers and investors. In September 2018, the project known as XpressWest, was acquired by Fortress Investment Group, which owns Brightline in Florida, the only privately run inter-city rail route in the United States. An extension of Brightline West from Victor Valley to the California High-Speed Rail station in Palmdale is also under consideration.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
LVRJ 2024-04-19was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "Brightline West | Brightline".
- ^ "Rail News – Brightline on track to begin Las Vegas high-speed rail project". Progressive Railroading. April 14, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ Varghese, Romy (August 26, 2020). "Fortress Wins California Approval for Vegas Rail Reimbursement". Bloomberg.
- ^ Seeman, Matthew (July 15, 2023). "Brightline West high-speed train clears environmental regulatory hurdle". News3lv. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ Akers, Mick (January 14, 2021). "Spring start eyed for construction of Vegas-to-So Cal rail line". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Akers, Mick (November 16, 2022). "High-speed rail project construction could begin in '23". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ McLawhorn, Jennifer (April 22, 2024). "Brightline West Breaks Ground in Nevada". Railway Track and Structures. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- ^ Russell, Edward (April 22, 2024). "Construction begins on high-speed rail between Vegas and California". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 23, 2024.