LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Another high-speed rail project could eventually connect Las Vegas to additional stops throughout California.
On Monday, High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency Board members and union labor representatives signed two agreements for the High Desert Corridor High Speed Rail Project. That includes a Community Workforce Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding, which you can read below.
High Desert Workforce Agreement by jarah.wright on Scribd
High Desert MOU by jarah.wright on Scribd
This project would connect Palmdale, California to Apple Valley, California.
According to a press release, the labor agreements would create thousands of jobs to construct, operate, and maintain the project. Officials also estimate the project will generate $12 billion in the region.
California officials have been working on constructing a statewide rail system for years.
According to California High-Speed Rail officials, they have completed 45 structures, 34 structures are currently under construction, and 57 miles of guideway have been completed.
What does that mean for Southern Nevada?
The line through the High Desert corridor could eventually connect with Brightline West, which would connect Las Vegas to Southern California.
The 218-mile system will be constructed in the middle of Interstate 15, with stops in Victor Valley, Hesperia, and Rancho Cucamonga, California.
UNLV College of Engineering professor Hualiang Teng was a commissioner on the Nevada High-Speed Rail Authority and a key advisor to Brightline West. He says the project will face several engineering challenges.
"Two trains are set to share a single track through the middle of a desert, leaving it susceptible to high heat and wind throughout much of the year," Teng wrote. "High-speed rails in the Middle East have been constructed under similar extreme conditions, so it is possible, even if all the worst conditions seem to be coming together to make construction. more difficult. To lay rails on the railroad track, you need to know the highest and lowest temperatures the track will be subject to throughout the year and the track geometrics such as horizontal and vertical curves. From there, we plug those numbers into a formula that will determine what air temperature it must be when the tracks are laid."
The Brightline West project officially broke ground back in April.
WATCH: Brightline West holds Las Vegas groundbreaking
Federal officials have authorized $3 billion in taxpayer money to help fund the $12 billion project. The company will also have access to $3.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds. Brightline West also previously received $25 million from a separate federal grant to build stations in California. The rest of the funding is expected to be covered by private capital and private activity bonds.
The Las Vegas station would be located near Silverado Ranch Boulevard and Blue Diamond road while the Rancho Cucamonga station would be located about 40 miles away from downtown Los Angeles. Both stations would still require riders to take additional modes of transportation, like taxis or ride-booking services, to reach their final destinations across both cities.
Documents filed by the company previously revealed Brightline is planning on operating 50 trains per day, 25 in each direction, between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, and they will depart at 45-minute intervals between 5:30 a.m. and 1 a.m.
In March, Brightline founder and chairman Wes Edens told the Los Angeles Times round-trip tickets to take their high-speed rail between the two locations could cost over $400. Edens said the company is experimenting with pricing but that right now, prices are similar to airline tickets, meaning the cost changes depending on when you book.
A new report from New York University's Marron Institute of Urban Management is also examining the Brightline West and California High-Speed Rail projects as a study in "how to improve domestic high-speed rail project delivery."
The report includes several recommendations including:
- Federal Direction and Nurturing Local Experimentation
- Technical Standards
- Stronger Links to Universities and Industry
- Project Management, Procurement, and Risk
- Permitting, Third-Party Agreements, and Planning
You can read the full report below.
HSR Final Report by jarah.wright on Scribd
Brightline West officials said they're hoping the line will be in operation in time for the 2028 Olympics, which are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles.
