Construction of $12B Brightline West High-Speed Rail Commences

More than a year after the ceremonial groundbreaking, construction activity is finally visible on Brightline West, the $12-billion high-speed rail project that will link Las Vegas with Southern California.

Recent reports cite road closures in the Las Vegas area tied to early work on the 218-mile corridor, which will run from the Las Vegas Strip to Rancho Cucamonga along the I-15 Freeway. According to construction advisories from Brightline West, field investigations and related activities have already been underway in both Nevada and California.

At the Las Vegas station site, YouTuber Lucid Stew documented work that included building a box culvert to manage drainage from a dry streambed that crosses the property.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that major construction is expected to begin before the end of 2025, pending the finalization of project financing. To date, Brightline West has secured $3 billion in federal funding from the Biden administration, along with $3.5 billion in private activity bonds.

Once groundbreaking officially occurs, the line will be built in nine phases over roughly four years. When complete, trains will operate at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, covering the distance in about two hours and ten minutes, with one stop planned in Apple Valley.

The privately funded Brightline West is advancing even as California’s state-run high-speed rail project continues to face delays and mounting costs. The Trump administration rescinded more than $3 billion previously granted to California’s effort, which has struggled with ballooning budgets and shifting completion targets.

Brightline’s Rancho Cucamonga terminus, located next to a Metrolink station, could eventually connect to Los Angeles Union Station, though that would require coordination with the state’s high-speed rail system. The proposed High Desert Corridor would link Apple Valley to Palmdale, enabling Brightline to use future high-speed tracks toward Burbank, Los Angeles, and Anaheim.

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