All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm
April 24, 2024
From press releases
LAS VEGAS – Brightline West officially broke ground Monday on the first true high-speed rail system in the U.S. connecting Las Vegas and Southern California.
The 218-mile system will be constructed in the middle of I-15 and is based on Brightline’s vision to connect city pairs that are too short to fly and too far to drive. Brightline West will run zero-emission, fully electric trains capable of speeds of 200 miles per hour.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Brightline founder Wes Edens and other dignitaries at a groundbreaking with the Las Vegas skyline as the backdrop. More than 600 people, including union representatives, project supporters and other state and local officials from California and Nevada, attended.
“People have been dreaming of high-speed rail in America for decades – and now, with billions of dollars of support made possible by President Biden’s historic infrastructure law, it’s finally happening,” said Secretary Buttigieg. “Partnering with state leaders and Brightline West, we’re writing a new chapter in our country’s transportation story that includes thousands of union jobs, new connections to better economic opportunity, less congestion on the roads, and less pollution in the air.”
The Brightline West project, slated to open in 2028, was recently awarded $3 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The rest of the project will be privately funded and has received a total allocation of $3.5 billion in private activity bonds from USDOT.
The rail system is the second for Brightline to connect major cities. In 2018, Brightline Florida began service between Miami and Orlando. In September 2023, Brightline’s Orlando station opened at Orlando International Airport, connecting South Florida to Central Florida. The company has plans to expand its system with future stops in Tampa, Florida’s Space Coast in Cocoa and the Treasure Coast in Stuart.
Brightline West will serve a busy corridor between Las Vegas and Southern California. Trains will stop in Las Vegas, as well as Victor Valley, Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
“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,” Edens said.
Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelsen hailed the groundbreaking as a high-speed rail project with the potential to create thousands of economically secure union jobs.
“Investments in big infrastructure projects like Brightline West provide more than just a way to get from one place to another, they provide jobs with a pathway to economic security for hardworking Americans,” he said.
Brightline West’s fully-electrified trainsets will reach speeds of 200 mph along a route with no grade crossings that has full environmental clearance. Trains will maximize power generated by renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. They will be the cleanest high-speed trains in the country.
Brightline Florida trains are led by Siemens Charger SCG-40 locomotives that reach up to 125 mph. Locomotives are powered by a 16-cylinder, 4000 hp Cummins EPA Tier-IV diesel-electric prime movers.
Field work began in January to advance final stages of design in preparation for the groundbreaking. Field investigation work includes geotechnical borings and samplings, utility potholing and land surveying.
In July 2021, Brightline Holdings acquired a 110-acre parcel that will serve as the Las Vegas station. The site is located at the south end of the famed Las Vegas Blvd. near the Las Vegas Strip, the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium and McCarran International Airport.
The privately led infrastructure project is one of the largest in the nation and will be constructed and operated by union labor. It will use 700,000 concrete rail ties, 2.2 million tons of ballast, and 63,000 tons of 100 percent American steel rail during construction.
Upon completion, it will include 322 miles of overhead lines to power the trains and will include 3.4 million square feet of retaining walls. The project covers more than 160 structures including viaducts and bridges. Brightline West will be fully Buy America Compliant.
The Las Vegas and Southern California travel market is one of the nation’s busiest corridors with over 50 million trips between the region each year. Additionally, Las Vegas continues to attract visitors from around the world, with 4.7 million international travelers flying into the destination. The city dubs itself on being the world’s No. 1 meeting destination, welcoming nearly 6 million people to the Las Vegas Convention Center last year.
In California, approximately 17 million Southern California residents are within 25 miles of the Brightline West station sites. Studies show that one out of every three visits to Las Vegas come from Southern California.
Officials hope to have the line operational in time for Los Angeles to host the Summer Olympic Games in 2028
