Rail spikes hammered, bullet train being built from Sin City to the City of Angels

A $12 billion passenger bullet train linking Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area was dubbed the first true high-speed rail line in the nation, with a private company called Brightline West building it, and predicting millions of ticket-buyers will be boarding trains by 2028. Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, cited Biden administration support for the project that he said will bring thousands of union jobs, boost local economies, and cut traffic and air pollution. Company officials say the goal is to have trains exceeding speeds of 186 mph (300 kph)—comparable to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains—operating in time for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Brightline West, whose sister company already operates a fast train between Miami and Orlando in Florida, aims to link U.S. cities that are too near each other for air travel to make sense and too far for people to drive. Las Vegas has no Amtrak service. The idea of a bullet train to Los Angeles dates back decades under various names including DesertXpress. Brightline West acquired the project in 2019, and company and public officials say it has all required right-of-way and environmental approvals, along with labor agreements. Brightline received Biden administration backing including a $3 billion grant from federal infrastructure funds and recent approval to sell another $2.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds. The company won federal authorization in 2020 to sell $1 billion in similar bonds. Brightline West says electric-powered trains will cut the four-hour trip across the Mojave Desert to a little more than two hours. It projects 11 million one-way passengers per year, with fares that Wes Eden, Brightline founder, said will be comparable to airline ticket costs. The trains will offer restrooms, Wi-Fi, food and beverage sales, and the option to check luggage. Officials hope the train line will relieve congestion on I-15, where drivers often sit in miles of crawling traffic while returning home to Southern California from a Las Vegas weekend. An average of more than 44,000 automobiles per day crossed the California-Nevada state line on I-15 in 2023, according to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority data. This article was provided by The Associated Press.