Officials broke ground Monday on a new high-speed rail system that will connect Southern California and Las Vegas. Bailey Miller reports for the NBC4 News on April 22, 2024.
If Brightline West and Texas Central are successful that really opens the door. We've never had a real HSR line, Acela is semi-HSR, less than half its route operates above 125mph and there's only 56mi where it can actually run at its 150mph top speed.
It doesn't cut travel time n emissions. People still need cars. Don't bring the necessity of owning cars to use rails. That's dumb idea. Other HSR friendly countries do not require cars to use rails. HSR is expensive. This private company will eventually sell the rails to government. You need at least 80 million annual ridership. You have to pick n drop people at each location to generate lo5s of ridership. If it's point to point, it's not going to work. Dream on Texas. Texas is an oil Red state. What will it make work.? Stop at major city n town. Pick n drop as many people at each station. Good luck in the empty desert. Oh, check Japan, you don't need cars at each station. Ideally, CAHSR makes more sense because it passes more cities. The problem is rail supporters hate public transportation. Besides SF, public transportation at future CAHSR has below F grade. HSR supporters are hypocrite. They keep mentioning reduce emissions, but they will not do anything to promote local public transportation.
That's in the long term plan. To build it to LA Union up front would've more than doubled the cost of the project, remember this is a mostly privately funded project, Brightline had to go with what they could afford, federal and state grants only fund a small part of the project, Brightline is paying for most of this themselves. There is also an opportunity to install line upgrades and electrification on the San Bernidino line that would improve line speeds and capacity for Metrolink as they will be ferrying Brigthline passengers to LA. Electrification could also allow the Brightline trains to do the RC to LA portion on the existing Metrolink track without the extreme expense of building the HSR line all the way to LA, the RC to LA portion would just be at a max of 125mph depending on line upgrades.
@@Da__goat you fail to mention the amount of tax payer money wasted on highways that don't even make a single dime. Not to mention how corrupt oil lobbyists have been since the 50s when they bulldozed neighborhoods with their pockets being the only thing that matters to them. If anything, corrupt Republicans are the reason these projects stall and become prolonged. It's a political 'power trip' play to make the other party look incompetent. We need trains, it literally benefits everyone, and with a thorough discussion anyone would come to that conclusion. It alleviates traffic , provides ALTERNATIVES to one singular form of transportation ( which is very restraining and cost consuming), and generates economic growth through transit oriented development and the impact it has on surrounding areas. So tell me, how is a train bad? And labeling everything that benefits the public as communist isn't an argument whatsoever. I say we get the ball rolling on this so it can eventually foster more high speed development around the states. There are countless projects that have been extremely close to fruition and end up being killed by conservative politicians at the last second. All these instances date as far back as the late 70s- early 90s- late 2000s. ( Twin cities, Milwaukee & Wisconsin) It's time we start being selfless and make this place more multi modal for our future generations. Better infrastructure and urbanism is a good thing
@@Da__goat why not emulate the model of highways and airports? The state/federal government built the infrastructure, but private companies pay back into it to operate mass transport such as buses and airplanes
@@ernestz.9260 regional networks can easily extend to country wide networks. of course, no ones saying make a rail line over 300 miles of emptyness out in idaho. but this country is plenty dense for rail, especially the east coast and southwest
@@ffjsb AIRPORTS only serve the two cities they take off and land, and no place in between. Also you are limited in size, amoung and weight of luggage, have to be there quite a bit before the flight takes off, check-in and security checks all take quite a bit of time, apart from the time it takes to go to the airport first
@@EnjoyFirefighting Why is this an argument? No one is taking high speed rail across the country. Nationwide rail would help people get from anywhere from anywhere.
Of course it will. They have very little land to acquire, the line will be primarily single tracked, they only have about 1/4 of the length to cover and their speeds will be a bit lower. The con with some of their decisions, is they aren't all that well situated in the LA area. Probably would have been a better idea to run the line into LA Union instead of way out in Rancho Cucamonga. There are already a couple lines that could have been improved on to achieve that. Maybe that might be a future expansion.
@@travisbeagle5691 Running the HSR line all the way to LA would've more than doubled the cost of the project and probably made it non-feasible for Brightline. I do know that is in the long term plans for it. It's much cheaper to build HSR track in the I-15 median in the middle of the desert than it is to build it through the LA mountains and suburbs. Upgrading the existing lines between RC and LA to handle 110-125mph line speeds would likely be a good medium term solution, it would dramatically improve the Metrolink service on what is their busiest corridor and if the line is electrified Brightline could use it to run all the way to LA, just at a lower speed west of RC.
@@mrvwbug4423 The latter part of your comment is more or less what I was getting at. They and Metrolink could have done something similar to what CAHSR and Caltrain are planning and upgrade existing rights of way to extend Brightline to LA Union and upgrade Metrolink while they are at it. Double tracking the existing route and electrification wouldn't be all that much of a significant expense, would dramatically improve the corridor and would likely significantly increase the customer base for the service. Maybe it is in the cards once the service is established and has some of its debt paid off as well as potentially double tracking the route, but right now I can't help not seeing it as a missed opportunity.
Why don't you make the station a little smaller and reduce some costs so we can extend this into a connecting station in downtown LA, and also bring this to the rest of the US. We're 50 years too late but we need this now more than ever
Hi, there, the first time ever heard of the bullet train in Japan was in the early 1980's. You might meet people who are older than I am who heard of them before I was born.
Reality check: The naysayers and knockers in this comment section would've been burping out the same, negative things about constructing the national interstate freeway system back at its start in 1956 through the '60s and '70s. They'd have been saying the original state and US highways (configurations of 1 travel lane in each direction, mostly) still served perfectly fine. Presumably, today, they love their freeways. Do they think the automotive freeway infrastructure was cheap, quickly built, or easy? High speed rail is no different and, like the interstates, will take the US to the next level of transportation evolution.
I think people will be surprised by the cost to ride this private HSR line. Tickets have to priced high enough to not only pay for the cost of the service, but to pay back the money to build it and provide investors a profit. A train like Pacific Surfliner is priced low enough to encourage people not to drive.
In principle, I would agree...however, I've taken Brightline numerous times in Florida and the prices are always far more reasonable than expected and the amount invested there was equally huge
@@ustophl - I live 90 miles from Los Angeles, and I prefer Amtrak--which is actually CalTrans--over Metrolink. Amtrak California is $28 coach. Rancho Cucamonga to Las Vegas is 230 miles. So a comparable price for Brightline West would be $72. However, Brightline is talking over $200 for a ticket, one-way. So Brightline West would be about 3 times more expensive than Amtrak, and still only get to the Metrolink station in Rancho Cucamonga. Advance LA-LV air fares are much lower than $200, and in fact, a lot closer to the $72 price. In addition, we can expect the airlines will cut their fares as soon as Brightline opens. Because the environmental impacts of air travel are externalized, competition will be a significant challenge to Brightline West.
I'm glad it will be electric and not smelly Diesels. Look what happened out in Philadelphia all diesel powered passenger trains discontinued sometime in the early 1980s and now only electric passenger trains including AMTRAK.
Nearly all the route for Brightline West will be 125 MPH or lower. As valuable as Brightline West is, it isn't comparable to CA HSR's line which will be 220 MPH almost all the way between station stops.
That sounds a lot better than what it was like back in the old days. In 1995, I took a train from Fullerton, California to Las Vegas. It took more or less 8 hours.
@@MrJuvefrank - Given that current speed through Cajon Canyon is 25 MPH, the new line will be fantastic. In fact, there will probably be a commuter train service between Rancho Cucamonga and Victorville sponsored by Metrolink. Brightline is probably starting work in Las Vegas because their main shop will be outside Las Vegas. However, if they want to get revenue right away, they should be building between Rancho and Victorville.
This will be easy to build since there is nothing in the way, unlike CA HSR which has to dig up and move TONS of pipes, electrical, build lots of overpasses and underpasses, etc.
Let's hope this one works better then previous attempts. Just to show how ridiculously slow the current build is, it was approved in 2008 about the same time China got their HSR program running. After 15 years California have now completed 422 miles with the first passengers expected to be able to ride between Bakersfield and Merced sometime after 2030, China just passed 28 000 miles with 3.68 billion passengers in 2023.
Hopefully after the initial segment is completed, they'll continue to add more as time progresses. The automobile and airplane NEED supplementing with another, less fuel-intensive, transportation mode.
This is a mostly privately funded project, I suspect it will get done in a reasonable timeframe. Brightline is betting the farm on this and they've been wildly successful in Florida.
I hope it falls through, the 210 freeway was one of the worst things to happen to our communities in the Inland Empire. There are way too many people as it is, the question is, who is going to make money off of this?
@@notsocrates9529 That 210 also nearly obliterated Pasadena; I remember the time BEFORE that monstrous "Hitler strip" blasted its way thru vibrant Pasadena communities, uprooting and displacing hundreds of people some of which were forced to live in a "cardboard ghetto" known as the King's Village apartment complex.... If it were a RAIL LINE instead, a much greater amount of land would've been available for more productive uses!
The Gov't could appropriate billions for a light rail line going from the Sinless City Airport to Downtown and the taxi drivers would make sure it was never built.
@@darrylbrown8253 Nope. This project is 50% government funded. And Brightline's last three projects in Florida were over 90% government funded. Brightline is privately owned but it's definitely publicly funded. Big difference.
@@TohaBgood2 actually you are the one running fast and loose with the facts. You are wrong on two fronts. Yes the CA to LV is partially funded by the govt. You are lying about how much it is. Its more about 30% is being funded by federal and state subsidies. You are also lying about the the Florida. None of that was funded by the governement. So again be sure to check your facts before spewing non sense.
@@darrylbrown8253 Nope. 30% is just the Federal grant that they just received. HOw about all the state money and all the other Federal grants that they have already applied for, been shortlisted, and claim that they can't continue without getting? No, you don't believe Brightline when they say that they need over 50% government "investment" to make this line possible? And again, no. The last three projects that Brightline built in Florida were all stations and were all 90-100% government funded. Why are you trying to lie about this? This is quite literally public information.
The irony of saying "one of the greenest forms of transportation in the country with a 0-emissions system" while simultaneously showing an enormous parking structure immediately adjacent to the station
He was referencing humans crossing the Cajon Pass, dating all the way back to early prehistoric tribes apparently. Not sure why he did that, but I guess maybe to show how important a travel corridor that’s been, and now Brightline West is the latest mode of travel to use it.
I wish Mr Pete would come to Malta and help us with a new Underground system. After all, he has roots in Malta, for his surname is Maltese.On, and make this work in the US, I mean it's about time.
@@tomservo5007 Not exactly. Take a look at Brightline in Florida! It is wildly successful. Also, Brightline is a private company, and therefore does not use tax dollars. If it does, it does not use much
There's no guarantee when it will be done. There was an attempt long time few decades ago. Well keep hope up for another decade. Should upgrade all metro links to HSR which is more benefitial to over all economy of southern California.
Remember folks. These high speed lines trains have to run 1 full year before passengers are allowed. To iron out glitches and safety. That mean built 3 years from now for the Olympics.
It's refreshing to see a privately funded rail going somewhere people actually want to go, compared to the $100 billion of taxpayer dollars spent for high speed rail from Bakersfield to Chowchilla.
There's something you must know: in the past year, China has built approximately 1,800 miles of high-speed rail capable of speeds up to 220 miles per hour, more than four times the total amount of high-speed rail ever constructed in the history of the United States.
Hope it works. Brightline has it eyes on other corridors. The triangle between Dallas - Houston - San Antonio hopefully is next. Personally, I would much rather travel by high speed rail than by commercial air. Affordable high speed rail would save so much on highway maintenance cost.
Just a quick cost analysis, 19 million per kilometer in China versus 48 million per kilometer in the USA.Let's not forget there will be a large cost overrun here in America.
This is awesome as I love trains and always have. I hope that this is going to spread throughout the country. I would love to see this in Colorado and Missouri.
@@TheTallMan50 how privileged you must be to consider fulfilling work the most important aspect when looking for a job. But anyway it is still fulfilling being a small part of a huge project like this and saying hey I contributed to this a little even if it was hard work. The hard work actually makes it more fulfilling in my opinion.
Not all people who go to Las Vegas go to gamble. Some people have relatives over there or go there because they're on their way to Utah, Colorado, Nebraska. etc.
Great! But there will lots of traffic going to the stations in Rncho Cucamonga and Vegas stations respectively.. Will there be parking lots in those stations for commuters.. .my thoughts.
Nah, this is a private company, bright line. They build one in florida in like 5 years and was successful. Hence why they are 'expanding' now into cali. This isn't the government that takes 20 years
@@andrec6012 And you're wrong on both counts. CAHSR broke ground in 2015 in Fresno. There's video on youtube from the groundbreaking. How many years have passed since 2015? Can you count?
@@jimmyjohn6479 Not to mention you got to take another train. Commuter train , with Luggage and kids. how fun does that sound.. Not me. cheaper to drive and then you have a car to drive around your destination.
"Expensive"?! Yet the entire nation wastes more than $800 billion dollars annually on stuperhighways which serve ONLY those owning private motor vehicles; the country's most obvious example of WELFARE FOR THE RICH.
My point exactly. This project should be easier and quicker to build because: 1. There are no bodies of water or significant obstacles to clear or build over since it's in the desert 2. Land along the highway allows for a straight connection between the two destinations
Well, Newsom still looking into those missing funds as well. Besides the 6 billion on Covid and 24 million on fighting homelessness missing funds. Newsom said he’s taking that very seriously, it must be an accounting error. The easiest way to find all these missing funds is, start looking at politicians offshore accounts like Pelosi’s, Maxine Waters and all other Newsom’s cronies. I’m sure those missing funds were deposited in their offshore accounts by mistake.
This is going to be GREAT for LA Raider fans and the hotels who will provide pick-up and drop-off services from the Las Vegas Transit Center. Well done CA-DOT, NV-DOT and US DOT.
@@CaliSteve169 My $19 300 mile 2.5 hr bullet train ride from France to Germany was comfortable slice of heaven. My 300 mi 6 hr car ride from LA to Vegas was a cramped nightmare! No thanks!
@@Furtivo95 apples to oranges. US and European cities are set up differently. The train makes more sense in Europe than the US. I live in Long Beach. It would take me hours to get to Cucamonga just to get to a train so I can go to Vegas and be stuck without a car there. If you just want to go from Cucamonga to the Vegas strip and not stop anywhere on the way and just stay around your hotel there (like on a business trip) then maybe it works. Again, keep in mind that for most people just getting to Cucamonga would be painful. Southern California is very spread out unlike the European cities. Having said all that, I still prefer the comfort and convenience of my own car when I'm in Europe. I go wherever I want, whenever I want and take as many detours as I want.
Currently, the United States has an administration that cares about and is doing something about and is supporting high speed rail. This effort is long overdue.
@@ZergcerebratesThe state or locality thatdoing the sending will pay their ticket costs, just like Texas paying for buses to ship illegal aliens to New York State....
You have no clue. Way more people than that travel between the two cities. Pretty much all air travel and a large chunk of car/bus travel can be replaced by rail.
PLENTY of people fly from SoCal to Vegas, so they don't have to drive. The rest drive. When the ticket prices become reasonable, expect tens of thousands of people to use the train. Much better than both driving and flying
Having to get to the airport 2hours before the flight, getting a rental car, is costlier than driving both in time and money. Too much hassle is why folks mostly drive from LA to Vegas. That is why round trip tickets from LAX to Vegas is less than $80. With the train its gonna be kinda similar with needing a rental car and there ain't gonna be 10,000 parking spaces at the train station so folks still need a ride to the train station just like to the airport. The round trip train better be no more than $50 or no one is gonna take it.
I'm amazed at the comments. Apparently cars are for the right and transit for the left? Only Americans could connect political ideology to transportation modes.
Because the left in the US is trying to kill of car ownership. Also this train probably won't be done by 2028, just look at the progress of the California HSR.
This will not be profitable if there's no connecting service from RC to Union Station operated by Brightline in the interim. When is the RC to LA electrification and line upgrade going to complete?
I don't think there will be enough water on that train to quench that much thirst. It will only have enough water for its passengers. If all of Las Vegas needs water, then Union Pacific Railroad can haul it in tank cars.
@sandiegofun1 I see the logic behind your statement, but a little known fact is they were just one more lane from fixing traffic forever! Just one more lane and it would be fixed! We should keep investing in expanding our highways so we can increase commute times instead of investing in far more efficient and fast travel alternatives 😊
This will end up costing twice as much and do nothing for the traffic situation. People who drive to Vegas like to have their cars in Vegas to drive around otherwise they are flying. Not going to pay more to sit on a train. I guess if your on the no fly list this will be a good option. The woke call it progress well if getting somewhere takes longer at the same or more cost is progress I guess so.
