Plans to connect two major high-speed rail lines currently under construction in California are moving forward thanks to a major recent development.
The High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Authority, 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 major rail projects underway: Brightline West and California High-Speed Rail (sometimes referred to as the “bullet train”).
With this development, leaders envision that passengers could eventually take a “single-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 home to many new high-speed rail projects.
Even though years of costly delaysThe long-planned California high-speed rail could become a major transportation option in the state — once it opens, of course — and would connect the Bay Area to Los Angeles in less than three hours. The next phase of construction would see extensions stretching as far as Sacramento and San Diego.
Meanwhile, Brightline, the private company behind Florida’s innovative rail system, broke ground this spring on a new 218-mile high-speed rail line planned to connect Southern California to Las Vegas by the 2028 Olympic Games, which will take place in Los Angeles.
Of those two projects, a group of Southern California leaders is focusing on creating a seamless link between two electric rail lines.
High Desert Corridor
The proposed High Desert Corridor would stretch 54 miles and has been discussed for years. The plan calls for a route to run from Victor Valley on the east end — a Mojave Desert town in the Inland Empire where Brightline West plans to build a station — to Palmdale on the west end, where the high-speed train would run.
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The proposals would require the track to be compatible with trains from both systems, giving the potential operator — or operators — the ability to carry passengers at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, a spokesperson for the organization told TPG.
The group hopes the project could eventually pave the way for nonstop rail service between Vegas and Los Angeles Union Station. However, the Brightline West plan would require passengers to connect to regional transit to get downtown.
The High Desert Corridor received environmental approval from the state of California in June 2016, and leaders are now seeking similar federal approval.
They’re also looking for additional funding. So far, leaders have earmarked $2 billion for the project and told TPG they’re open to any funding options—federal grants, loans, or partnerships with private companies.
Latest estimates put the total value of the project at between $5 billion and $6 billion — although that number could change as plans continue to be built and developed.
The group hopes to break ground in 2028, right around when Brightline West is expected to be completed.
Last week, the project took a major step forward when more than a dozen unions signed a memorandum of understanding, paving the way for labor agreements for construction as well as maintenance and operations once the line is complete.
Last line
California has two major high-speed rail projects underway. Now, there are signs of progress on plans to connect the two train systems, which could create a much more connected transportation landscape on the West Coast in the not-too-distant future.
All this happens between large federal and private US investment in railroads. Between the new inter-provincial routes and transformational innovation Along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, this is an exciting time for the future of train travel in the United States.
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