The segment between Rancho Cucamonga and the high desert town of Victorville received a key approval, with groundbreaking scheduled for later this year.
“The environmental review and permitting process for the stretch of Brightline West’s planned Victor Valley-to-Rancho Cucamonga, California high-speed rail line was finished Wednesday,” signaling a key step forward for the L.A.-to-Las Vegas line. The proposed 49-mile segment in question “would run within the right of way of Interstate 15,” reports Mick Akers in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The line will have stations in Rancho Cucamonga and Hesperia before moving on to Victorville and ultimately Las Vegas. “The full Las Vegas-to-Rancho Cucamonga rail line is projected to cost $12 billion and will span 218 miles, featuring a Southern Nevada passenger station at Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road.”
Brightline plans to run trains hourly every day, timed to connect passengers with Metrolink service into Los Angeles. “With the environmental approval in place, Brightline is still on track to break ground on the long-talked-about project at the end of the year, with the goal of operations beginning in 2027.”
Brightline currently operates a rail line between Miami and West Palm Beach in Florida and is expanding service to Orlando this year.
FULL STORY: High-speed rail receives key approval for link into LA
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Journal of the American Planning Association