Construction begins on $12bn Brightline West high-speed rail project

The 218-mile-long railway line will run in the middle of the I-15 and aims to connect city pairs over distances that are too short to fly and too far to drive.

The privately led infrastructure project has received $3 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and has also received a total allocation of $3.5 billion in private activity bonds from the US Department of Transportation.

Fully electric trains will run at speeds of 200 miles per hour on the new line once it is complete, with construction involving 10,000 direct union jobs and 1,000 permanent operations and maintenance positions.

A digital render of the planned Brightline West station in Las Vegas (Image: Brightline West)

The Las Vegas station will sit near the Las Vegas Strip on a 110-acre property north of Blue Diamon Road between I-15 and Las Vegas Boulevard. There will be more stations in Apply Valley, intended as a future connection to the High Desert Corridor and California High Speed Rail, Rancho Cucamonga Station near Ontario International Airport, and Hesperia Station located within the I-15 media at the I-15/Joshua Street interchange.

The investment also involves $800 million in improvements to the I-15 corridor and agreements with several unions for skilled labour.

Brightline West follows Brightline’s first rail system in Florida, connecting Miami to Orlando, which started its initial service between its South Florida stations in 2018. The station at Orlando International Airport opened in September 2023 and there are plans to extend the system with future stops in Tampa, Florida’s Space Coast in Cocoa, and the Treasure Coast in Stuart.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for Brightline West, Wes Edens, Brightline’s founder, said. “This is a historic project and a proud moment where we break ground on America’s first high-speed rail system and lay the foundation for a new industry.

“Today is long overdue, but the blueprint we’ve created with Brightline will allow us to repeat this model in other city pairs around the country.”

Completion of Brightline West is expected in 2028.

A map of the planned Brightline West high-speed railway (Image: Brightline West)