America's third planned high-speed rail line received good news on Sept. 17, by entering an agreement with China Railway Group to receive $100 million to start building the 230-mile line from Victorville, Calif. to Las Vegas.
"A consortium led by China Railway Group (CREC) has come to terms with America's XpressWest Enterprises LLC to jointly build and operate a high-speed rail link running between Los Angeles and Las Vegas," writes Andrew Tarantola for Engadget.
The project has already cleared its environmental impact study, obtained all of the necessary DoT licensing and right-of-way approvals, and is ready to begin building as soon as next September.
"The project comes after four years of negotiations and will be supported by $100 million in initial capital, according to Bloomberg News. Indeed, Planetizen's last post on the project, then called DesertXpress [PDF], was almost four years ago after it "received clearance from the federal Surface Transportation Board."
The privately funded, 230 mile route stretches from Victorville [Population: 121,096 (2013)] in San Bernardino County, Calif. to Las Vegas, Nev. The train would run at 150 mph, "primarily adjacent to Interstate 15, the only freeway between Las Vegas, Nev., and Los Angeles," according to the earlier Planetizen post.
From that earlier post: "While completely separate from the state High-Speed Rail Authority, DesertXpress [now XpressWest] is counting on the construction of the HSRA line to provide a high speed rail connection to the Victorville vicinity from Los Angeles, ideally from the Palmdale station, 50 miles from Victorville - though the HSR Authority prefers a route that would eliminate that station."
The agreement comes in advance the first official state visit to the U.S. by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 25.
"As the domestic Chinese market has become saturated with high-speed rail projects, many of its largest railway companies have begun vying for international contracts," writes Tarantola.
As Yang Zhongmin, deputy chief engineer with China Railway Group, pointed out at a recent press conference, "This is the first high-speed railway project where China and the U.S. will have systematic cooperation. It shows the advancement of China-made high-speed railways."
A Planetizen post last year reported that China Railway Construction Corp. (CRCC), a different group, had bid on a high-speed rail project in Mexico. That contract was canceled.
Older Planetizen posts under "related" (below) show that the predecessor to the privately-funded DesertXpress was a maglev line backed with $45 million in federal funds, running from Anaheim, Calif. to Las Vegas.
Other high-speed rail lines in United States:
The two other high-speed rail lines in the planning and/or construction phase in the U.S. are the California high-speed rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles line administered by the California High-Speed Rail Authority and Texas Central Railway's Houston to Dallas line.
Acela is an existing high-speed train that runs from Washington, D.C. to Boston, though it needs lot of upgrading to attain a uniform 150 mph speed. All Aboard Florida will travel from Miami to Orlando at a speed of 125 mph using diesel locomotives.
FULL STORY: US and Chinese firms agree on high-speed rail plan from LA to Vegas
China Railway Drops Out of L.A. to Las Vegas High-Speed Rail Project
China Railway, which had agreed to put up $100 million for XpressWest to build a 230-mile, 190 mph train from Victorville, Calif. to Las Vegas last September, withdrew from their agreement, primarily due to the inability to use their own trains.
Las Vegas High-Speed Rail on Hold
A plan to build a high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas is on hold after the developer came up short on fundraising. Affordable housing projects in California stand to benefit from the newly available state bond funding.
California to Las Vegas High-Speed Rail: Expected for Construction in 2020
Virgin Trains USA, formerly Brightline, is making progress on long-anticipated plans for a high-speed rail connection between Las Vegas and Victorville, California.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)