SE Vegas News

Brightline West late last month announced that it has set its plans to further connect people in both Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

The railroad intends to have its trains run from Rancho Cucamonga, a community served by Metrolink’s San Bernardino line, to LA’s Union Station, according to Railway Age.

“The Brightline West high-speed rail connecting Las Vegas & Southern Calif. could soon become a reality,” the City of Las Vegas’s official Twitter account tweeted Jan. 25. “Starting in Rancho Cucamonga, linking to a previously approved 216-mile rail from Victorville to #Vegas, construction could start by early 2023.”

Brightline is crossing its fingers that the Federal Railroad Administration will give the greenlight an environmental permit for that section of the route by the end of this year.

If granted, the permit would lead to the opening of the entire line with the next 3 1/2 years, the company said on its website.

In addition, according to Forbes, the Miami-based private passenger rail company could apply for potential low-interest funding options for high-speed rail included in the infrastructure package that just became law.

Brightline said the project could come with a price tag of $8 billion.

“Brightline looks forward to working with the Federal Railroad Administration on finalizing the permitting process and making this America’s high-speed-rail showcase system,” the company said in a statement obtained by Forbes. “Brightline West is the most shovel-ready project in the nation and provides the best opportunity for this country to have a new high-speed rail system within the next few years, achieving success for this administration’s goals related to jobs, climate and equity.”