Brightline’s high-speed rail project from So. Cal. to Las Vegas inches closer grounbreaking

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·3 min read
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The long awaited Brightline West high-speed project has inched closer to groundbreaking after approval of environmental review and permitting processes.

The approval of the environmental review on July 12 focused on the rail line between the rail stations in Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga.

In that review, the Federal Railroad Administration gave the connection a clean bill of health as the agency found no significant environmental impact for the nearly 50-mile line which connects both cities.

Brightline West’s high-speed project has inched closer to groundbreaking after approval of environmental review and permitting processes from Hesperia to Rancho Cucamonga.
Brightline West’s high-speed project has inched closer to groundbreaking after approval of environmental review and permitting processes from Hesperia to Rancho Cucamonga.

Connecting Las Vegas and the Inland Empire

The high-speed rail track will run within the right of way of Interstate 15 as it departs Rancho Cucamonga, travels north up the Cajon Pass, with a stop in Hesperia and Apple Valley before heading to Las Vegas.

In Las Vegas, a Brightline station will welcome passengers at Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road east of I-15 and south of Harry Reid International Airport.

The Las Vegas News Journal quoted Brightline West President Sarah Watterson, who said the FRA’s finding of no significant impact confirms the environmental benefits of the project extending into greater Los Angeles at Rancho Cucamonga

“Having permits and right of way are typically the highest barriers to success for large scale infrastructure developments, and Brightline West’s tremendous progress here signifies why we are moving toward a ground-break later this year,” Watterson said.

Brightline West’s high-speed project has inched closer to groundbreaking after approval of environmental review and permitting processes from Hesperia to Rancho Cucamonga.
Brightline West’s high-speed project has inched closer to groundbreaking after approval of environmental review and permitting processes from Hesperia to Rancho Cucamonga.

Additional approvals, expected groundbreaking

With the environmental approval in place, Brightline officials are eyeing a groundbreaking of by the end of 2023 and ribbon cutting in the first quarter of 2027.

The Hesperia station, just south of Apple Valley, previously received environmental approval and will include the system’s maintenance facility. The environmental review for the Las Vegas-to-Apple Valley portion of the line was reviewed in 2020 after it was approved in 2011.

Construction of the 218 mile Las Vegas-to-Rancho Cucamonga rail line is estimated to cost $12 billion.

At speeds in excess of 186 mph, trains will transport passengers between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga in just 2 hours and 10 minutes, twice as fast as the normal drive time, the company said.

The Rancho Cucamonga Station will connect to Southern California’s regional Metrolink service, allowing connectivity west into downtown Los Angeles and beyond.

Trains are expected to operate daily at one-hour intervals. A trip between Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga is expected to take about 35 minutes.

The rail line will be powered via overhead electric catenary wiring, with a power substation set to be built near Hesperia.

Last month, Brightline was awarded $25 million in grant funding for the construction of both passenger rail stations in the Victor Valley.

Artist rendering of the proposed Brightline West train station in Rancho Cucamonga. Brightline's high-speed rail project will transport passenger between Rancho Cucamonga and Las Vegas, with stops in Hesperia and Apple Valley.
Artist rendering of the proposed Brightline West train station in Rancho Cucamonga. Brightline's high-speed rail project will transport passenger between Rancho Cucamonga and Las Vegas, with stops in Hesperia and Apple Valley.

Job opportunities

In partnership with unions and governed by project labor agreements, the project will directly create over 10,000 union construction jobs, most not requiring a college degree.

Inclusive of jobs that go into materials production, transportation, and other key elements to constructing the system, the project will support more than 35,000 jobs across the construction period.

At operations, Brightline West is expected to support over 1,000 permanent jobs in operations and maintenance, about 900 of those being full-time union jobs.

Brightline also awaits word on what amount, if any, it will receive from a $3.75 billion grant the company and the Nevada Department of Transportation applied for earlier this year from the Federal-State Partnership Program, the LVNJ reported.

Whatever money is awarded would go toward the construction of the rail line, with the remainder of the costs to be paid for via tax-exempt private activity bond allocation from both Nevada and California and private capital.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Brightline’s high-speed rail project from So. Cal. to Las Vegas advances