A high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas to Los Angeles under construction
(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Work has begun on a high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Ground broke on the $12 billion project Monday. Brightline West aims to lay 218 miles of new track between a terminal to be built just south of the Las Vegas Strip, and another new facility in Rancho Cucamonga, California with a stop in San Bernardino County's Victorville area.
The electric-powered trains are expected to cut the four-hour trip across the mojave desert to a little more than two hours.
Brightline's CEO Mike Reininger says the goal is to have trains operating in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Brightline received $6.5 billion dollars in backing from the Biden administration, including a $3 billion dollar grant from federal infrastructure funds.
