Article

2024-02-02 Economy

High-speed train that will hurtle from Los Angeles to Las Vegas at 186mph gets the green light for $2.5billion funding boost

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A proposed high-speed passenger train connecting Las Vegas with LA has been given another boost with the approval of $2.5billion(£1.975billion) in extra funding.

The Brightline West railway aims to whisk passengers at 186mph (300kph) or more in electric trains across the Nevada desert in just two hours. It will cost around $12billion to create.
It's a 45 minute flight
The latest funding - in tax-exempt bonds - was recently approved by the Biden administration.

It follows an unprecedented $3billion U.S. Department of Transportation grant in December and government authorisation in 2020 for the company to sell $1billion in similar bonds.

'We appreciate the confidence placed in us by DOT and are ready to get to work,' said Brightline founder and chairman Wes Edens.

Florida-based Brightline Holdings LLC is the only private passenger rail company in the U.S, linking Miami and Orlando with diesel-powered trains reaching speeds up to 125mph (200kph).

And it could soon also become the first in the country to complete a high-speed, electric-powered option if its new Brightline West project is successful.

The 218-mile (351km) railway will halve a four-hour freeway trip between Las Vegas and suburban San Bernardino County near LA.

It will make stops in Las Vegas, Victory Valley, Hesperia, and Ranch Cucamonga California where it will connect to the City of Angels' Metrolink commuter rail.

Planners and politicians say the project has all the required right-of-way and environmental approvals, along with labour agreements, and should help alleviate weekend and end-of-holiday travel traffic jams that often stretch for 15 miles (25km) on I-15 near the Nevada-California line.

No date has been announced for work to start, but officials have said it might be operational by the start of the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 2028.

Posted by Skidmark 2024-02-02 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11141 views ] Top

#1 It actually would go from Las Vegas to San Bernadino. The connection from San Bernadino to LA would be via a Metrolink commuter train with limited capacity.

Posted by lord garth 2024-02-02 00:25|| 2024-02-02 00:25|| Front Page Top

#2 $2.5 billion graft boost

Posted by Procopius2k 2024-02-02 08:21|| 2024-02-02 08:21|| Front Page Top

#3 Haven't they already played this card 1 time?

Posted by Chris 2024-02-02 09:51|| 2024-02-02 09:51|| Front Page Top

#4 Another train project that will never carry one passenger.

Posted by EMSArtifact 2024-02-02 10:08|| 2024-02-02 10:08|| Front Page Top

#5 #3 - Different High Speed train project in Central Valley: "Train to Nowhere" goes from Merced to Bakersfield, IIRC. Ridership forecast = ZERO

Posted by Frank G 2024-02-02 11:52|| 2024-02-02 11:52|| Front Page Top

#6 It's a 45 minute flight

Plus travel time to airport + arrive 90 minutes before flight to clear security + deplane and baggage retrieval time upon arrival as LAS + travel from to downtown Las Vegas.

Posted by M. Murcek 2024-02-02 11:59|| 2024-02-02 11:59|| Front Page Top

#7 Yeah, call it a travel day.
I drove the LA-Barstow-Bakersfield-Vegas (Westminister-Nellis)route many times.
In the summer, and it was always summer, my car would overheat on the long uphill across the 'inland empire'. Had to do without AC.

Posted by Skidmark 2024-02-02 13:10|| 2024-02-02 13:10|| Front Page Top

#8 It's a 45 minute flight

Yeah, but they're flying the 737 Max. I think I'd rather drive. By the time I slog through traffic to the airport, check my baggage, go through security and wait at the gate I'd be halfway to Vegas. Dunno if a train would be any better even if it's run by a private company. It would be funny to watch a private company do something that Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom are unable to do.

Posted by Abu Laptop (same as Abu Uluque but on a different computer.) 2024-02-02 13:13|| 2024-02-02 13:13|| Front Page Top

#9 Although I will never use or benefit from the project, I am well satisfied to have my wealth garnished for that purpose because I am sure that with Pete Buttigieg’s oversight the boondoggle will be tipping the scales of bigotry and racism in the right direction.

Posted by Super Hose 2024-02-02 14:52|| 2024-02-02 14:52|| Front Page Top

#10 The drive from LA to Las Vegas is about 4 hours and change. This obviously depends on the time of year, time of day, how aggressive the driver is, how many times they stop for bathroom breaks.

The high speed rail will take about 3 hours, much of which is the slow commuter rail from LA to San Bernadino and the change of train to/from the Brightline (Brightline claims this change of train will be seamless but that is BS). There is also major mismatch between the capacity of the Brightline and the capacity of the commuter rail line.

All these are problems that have not been adequately vetted.

Presumably the train trip would be more pleasant and perhaps cost less if it was for one person but it would mean less flexibility once you got to Vegas.

Posted by lord garth 2024-02-02 15:30|| 2024-02-02 15:30|| Front Page Top

#11 'High-Speed Train That Will Hurtle $2.5 Billion.'

Posted by swksvolFF 2024-02-02 21:15|| 2024-02-02 21:15|| Front Page Top

#12 After his honeymoon in Florida with his new bride, Virginia, Luigi stopped by his old barbershop in Jersey to say hello to his friends.
Long
“Ciao, Luigi. How wassa the trip?” His friend said.

“Everything was perfecto, except for the train down.” Luigi said

“Virginia and I boarda da train at Grand Central Station. Virginia packa a huge picnic basket. But the conductore came, waga his finger and said: ‘no eat in disa car. Musta eat in da dining car.’

So, mea and my bella wife Virginia go to da dining car. We mangia and open a bottle of a nice wine. Conductor walka by again. He tell me ‘no drinka in dis car! Must use a club car!’

So, we go to da club car. Then, my bella Virginia and I go to da sleeper car anda go to bed. We just about to hava some fun when the conductore walka through the hallway shouting ata da top of his lungs: ‘Nofolka, Virginia! Nofolka Virginia!’

Posted by M. Murcek 2024-02-02 21:20|| 2024-02-02 21:20|| Front Page Top

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