Plans to connect two major high-speed rail lines currently under construction in California are moving forward, thanks to significant recent developments.
The High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency, a consortium of local governments and organizations, recently signed two landmark labor agreements that could pave the way for a 54-mile connection between two massive rail projects: Brightline West and California High-Speed Rail (sometimes known as the “bullet train”).
With this development, leaders envision that passengers could eventually take a “one-seat” ride from Las Vegas to downtown Los Angeles.
But a lot has to happen before that becomes a reality.
2 systems are under construction
California is a hotbed of new high-speed rail projects.
However Years of costly delay, the long-planned California high-speed rail could become a major transportation option in the state — once open, of course — and would connect the Bay Area to Los Angeles in less than three hours. Subsequent construction phases will see expansion extending to Sacramento and San Diego.
Meanwhile, BrightLine, the private company behind the innovative rail system in Florida, will break ground this spring on a new 218-mile high-speed line set to connect Southern California with Las Vegas in time for the 2028 Olympic Games, which will be held in Los Angeles. .
Between those two projects, a group of Southern California leaders is focused on creating a seamless link between the two electric rail lines.
High Desert Corridor
The proposed High Desert Corridor would be 54 miles and has been discussed for years. Plans call for the line to run from Victor Valley on the eastern end — a Mojave Desert town in the Inland Empire where Brightline West plans to build a station — to Palmdale on the western end, where the bullet train is slated to run.
Daily newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily Newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for the latest news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
read more: The best credit cards for Amtrak and train travel
A spokeswoman for the organization told TPG that the proposals would require the tracks to be compatible with both systems’ trains, giving the operator – or operators – the ability to carry passengers at a top speed of 200 miles per hour.
The group hopes the project could eventually set the stage for nonstop rail service between Vegas and Los Angeles Union Station. However, BrightLine West plans require riders to connect to regional transit to reach the city center.
The High Desert Corridor received California state environmental approval in June 2016, and its leaders are now seeking similar federal approvals.
They are also looking for more funding. So far, leaders have allocated $2 billion for the project and told TPG they are open to any number of funding options — federal grants, loans or a partnership with a private company.
The latest estimates peg the total project price tag at somewhere between $5 billion and $6 billion — though that could change as plans continue to develop and evolve.
The group hopes to break ground by 2028, around the time Brightline West is completed.
Last week, the project took a major step forward when more than a dozen unions signed a memorandum of understanding. This step paves the way for labor contracts for construction as well as maintenance and operations once the line is completed.
Bottom line
Two major high-speed rail projects are in the works in California. Now, there are signs of progress on plans to connect the two train systems, perhaps creating a more connected transportation landscape on the West Coast in the not-too-distant future.
Related Reading: