PRIVATE US company Brightline West held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 22 to mark the official start of work on its $US 12bn high-speed project.
The company plans to build a new 350km line between Las Vegas and southern California, with construction expected to take four years. Brightline West has “an ambitious schedule of being open in time for the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games in 2028,” according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.
The new high-speed line, which has full environmental clearance, will run primarily in the median of the I-15 highway, with stations in Las Vegas, Victor Valley, Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga.
Brightline expects to operate 25 trains in each direction between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga each day. Trains will depart from both cities at 45-minute intervals and run at up to 290km/h.
“This is a historic project and a proud moment where we break ground on America’s first high-speed rail system and lay the foundation for a new industry,” says Brightline founder, Mr Wes Edens. “Today is long overdue, but the blueprint we’ve created with Brightline will allow us to repeat this model in other city pairs around the country.”
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