Construction of $10 Billion Southern California to Vegas High Speed Rail Line Is Set to Begin

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Construction of $10 Billion Southern California to Vegas High Speed Rail Line Is Set to Begin

The 218-mile rail system will link Southern California to Las Vegas in just over 2 hours.

By Lawrence Hodge
Published Yesterday

Getting to Las Vegas may be about to get a whole lot easier for Southern California residents. KTLA reports that construction of a high-speed rail line from California to Las Vegas is finally set to begin later this year. ... The project is being spearheaded by Brightline/Brightline West, who also constructed a line in Florida that links Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. The 218-mile system will cost $10 billion to build. While some reporting has been calling this an L.A. to Las Vegas line, that’s not exactly the case.

The line will consist of five stations, none of which are in L.A. proper or L.A. County. L.A. residents will have to make the trek inland to the Inland Empire city of Rancho Cucamonga which is where the first station will be. From there three stations will be in Southern California’s High Desert in Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Victor Valley. The final stop will be the Las Vegas strip.

The project is set to have many benefits. Construction is expected to create 40,000 jobs, and 1,000 permanent jobs once the line is up and running, and is expected to make up its construction costs in revenue. The environmental benefits are equally big. Studies by Brightline show that Southern Californians make over 50 million annual trips to Las Vegas by way of I-15. The rail line is expected to take 12 million of those annual trips, which means that an estimated 400,000 tons of CO2 will be removed from the atmosphere by reducing traffic on the interstate. It’ll be made better by the train being an EMU (electric multiple unit).

Riders can expect a travel time of just over two hours as the train reaches its 180 mph top speed. The line is expected to be an elevated line as well running above the desert floor. Brightline says passengers can expect features like onboard wifi, food and beverage service, and checked luggage and hotel check-in service. Completion of the line is expected in 2026 or 2027.

{snip}

What we know about the high-speed rail from metro Los Angeles to Las Vegas

by: Iman Palm
Posted: Mar 2, 2023 / 03:47 PM PST
Updated: Mar 3, 2023 / 05:10 PM PST

Construction on the highly anticipated bullet train that will transport Southern California residents to Las Vegas is expected to start in 2023 after Brightline, the company behind the project, inked a deal with a coalition of major labor unions.

The coalition, known as the High-Speed Rail Labor Coalition, includes “13 rail unions representing more than 160,000 freight, regional, commuter, and passenger railroad workers in the United States,” a news release said.

“Americans want high-speed rail, and Brightline West and the High-Speed Rail Labor Coalition will deliver,” the High-Speed Rail Labor Coalition shared in a statement.

The project is expected to be completed in 2026 or 2027, the International Railway Journ{al} reported.



Courtesy: Brightline West

{snip}

[Turbineguy]

1. So, we're using this expensive technology

to improve access to gambling.

[3Hotdogs]

2. And in 5 years, you will get to Vegas but not be able to get a drink out of a drinking fountain or

flush the toilet in your hotel room.

But

No worry, you can take a fast train home when you have to take a shit and then take it back to Vegas in enough time to put your chips on black.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. And conventions. Las Vegas might have more of those than any other city in the US. NT

[jimfields33]

7. Our environment is worth it.

They’ll go to gamble anyway. This saves the world.

[underpants]

10. Golf. Don't forget the golf...

also lots of drinking and hookers.

[3Hotdogs]

4. N.J. Transit ran an express that ran to A.C. Why it was so sophisticated, that it had

"Take The A Train" as background for its radio promos.


It lasted about 2 years.

Who wants to wait for the Choo-choo when you can get in your car and hit the parkway and don't have to wait for the 9 PM train to take you back after you lost all your money at 2 p.m.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. "As of 2020, the stated frequency is 45 minutes between departures."

Brightline West

{snip}

Route

{snip}

In 2009, XpressWest estimated that it will carry around five million round trip passengers in the first full year of operation, with the company charging fares of around $50 for a one-way trip between Victorville and Las Vegas. In 2012, the round-trip fare was planned to be around $89, with trains expected to run every 20 minutes on peak and up to every 12 minutes as demand requires. As of 2020, the stated frequency is 45 minutes between departures.

{snip}

PS: trains don't go "choo-choo" anymore.

[3Hotdogs]

8. Shows, what da fuck, you know. Last summer, I was on a train at Cass State Park, W.V.

It went Choo-choo.

Also, the round trip is $100. Gas cost to take your car?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. Don't forget to pay yourself for the time you spend as as driver. That's a cost too.

I have been to Cass.

On a Class 1 mainline? Steam is long gone.

[3Hotdogs]

11. That is an interesting point. Cars were sold in the 50's to experience the "Freedom of the open road

N.J. roads are clogged every morning with cars driving to their owners' jobs. probably 20 percent could take public transport.

I like driving. I'm 80 years old. If it's a choice of staying home or getting in my car, I'm in m car.

But then I look at my grandkids. Four of 'em. Age 17 to 23. The two oldest ones never even applied for driver's licenses. Two younger ones drive and own cars. (17 year old, inherited hers. 20 year old earned his, working as a summer lifeguard at $5k per summer from age of 16.

[MichMan]

12. Do I also pay myself for the time sitting in the train and boarding ?

Time is time.

Makes no difference to me if I am holding a steering wheel or not....

[Squaredeal]

13. The AC-NYC line was doomed from its inception.

Nj Transit’s AC-NYC train is no comparison to what is planned in this article. NJT used existing rails that brought the trains through Pennsylvania, running at 60 MPH and lower, using standard commuter coaches and only had two round trips a day. A trip took 2 hours. It was designed for failure from the beginning, a partnership operation between the casinos and the state DOT that had little money invested, which entailed rental of the equipment and other operational expenses that were not offset by fares.
Until another rail tunnel is built between NYC and NJ, which the existing one is at capacity, there’s little reason to increase train travel between these two places.

[MichMan]

5. Did they use the one currently under construction in California as an example?

On how accurate the cost and timing projections are?

[doc03]

14. Who will ride the train when the south west runs out of water? nt