$12 Billion High-Speed Rail Project to Connect Las Vegas and Southern California

Construction should begin soon on a 218-mile rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California as Brightline West sets to break ground. The project hopes to be ready before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics begin.

Federal support came through with a $3 billion grant from the Railroad Administration last year. "This is a huge deal for Nevada," Eric Scheetz told NDOT. As senior project manager, he's overseeing the development.

The huge project breaks down into nine separate phases. Modern trains will travel between cities at 186+ miles per hour. This will allow passengers to travel between Las Vegas and Southern California in just over two hours compared to the average four-hour drive. With trains running every 45 minutes and 37 trips daily, people won't have to wait long for their ride. According to a Brightline press release, this project is estimated to cut 400,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions and reduce the congestion on the I-15 corridor by an estimated 3 million cars.

Going through I-15's middle strip, the line will make stops at Victor Valley, Hesperia, and Rancho Cucamonga. At Rancho Cucamonga, a new 3,700-car parking structure connects riders to LA's Metrolink system.

California's portion requires strict engineering oversight. In Nevada, NDOT needs to give right-of-way permission once funding and plans get final approval.

Brightline is hoping the remaining $9 billion of the costs will come through as private funding. This includes investments, loans, and $2.5 billion in private activity bonds. The project can still tap into another $5.5 billion with bonding authority. This high-speed rail project has become one of the largest public-private infrastructure projects within the U.S.

The four-year building timeline puts Victor Valley at the center of operations with its main maintenance facility.

In the coming weeks, Scheetz expects news about financial details that could get major work moving faster.

Brightline has taken project liability through an agreement with NDOT.