The US government has pledged $3 billion to kick-start the Brightline West project, aiming for it to be operating 186mph trains by the opening of the Los Angeles Olympics.
Brightline is a private enterprise operator which in September opened a rail link from Orlando airport to West Palm Beach via Miami.
The new 218-mile line will terminate at Rancho Cucamonga, about 25 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles, where it will connect with suburban trains. The journey time is estimated at two hours 10 minutes.
“The tide has turned for high-speed rail in America,” said Andy Kunz, president and chief executive of US High Speed Rail.
“Electrified bullet trains will transform the nation’s transportation system – reducing congestion, helping end our dependency on fossil fuels and advancing the fight against climate change.
“This investment by the Biden Administration represents a milestone in advancing our progress and making us competitive with the 26 nations that currently have fast, clean and safe high-speed trains.”
The train track will mirror Interstate 15, with hopes it will alleviate congestion on the highway. The Washington Post said the rail link could remove three million vehicles from the roads annually.
Brightline said the project “will decongest highways and airports across the West Coast, protect the climate and provide travellers with a level of rail service never experienced before in this country”.
It is planned to link the line with the California High-Speed Rail project to form a West Coast Corridor connecting Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The initial 171-mile segment in the Central Valley is due for completion between 2030 and 2033, using the world’s first solar-powered bullet train.
Other high-speed rail lines already under study or planning consideration include a 240-mile route from Dallas to Houston plus another of 290 miles from Vancouver to Seattle and Portland.
