Brightline West: Everything We Know So Far About the High-Speed Trains

17.09.2024 - 22:01 / cntraveler.com / Pete Buttigieg

Construction on Brightline West, which bills itself as the first “true” high-speed rail system in the US, officially broke ground earlier this year. With plans to be up and running by 2028, the all-electric trains will travel between Southern California and Las Vegas at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.

American travelers may recognize the rail company's bright yellow trains from Brightline's Florida branch, where they have successfully operated since 2018. Its route map now stretches from Miami to Orlando, with stops in Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach along the way.

But Brightline West is even more ambitious than its Sunshine State predecessor: Florida's Brightline trains only reach speeds of up to 125 mph and are powered by diesel-electric locomotives, while Brightline West trains will be up to 75 mph faster and all-electric. Last year, the bold project was awarded $3 billion in funding from the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. (The remaining $9 billion of the train’s budget will be privately funded.)

“People have been dreaming of high-speed rail in America for decades," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement following the April groundbreaking ceremony. “Partnering with state leaders and Brightline West, we’re writing a new chapter in our country’s transportation story that includes thousands of union jobs, new connections to better economic opportunity, less congestion on the roads, and less pollution in the air.”

Here’s everything we know about Brightline West so far, from what the route will look like to how it could change travel in the region—and the future of high-speed rail in the US.

Brightline West's design concept for a “party car,” pictured in the rendering above, is complete with lounge seating and a bar.

Once completed, Brightline West's route will stretch 218 miles from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, California, with additional stops in Victor Valley and Hesperia, California, along the way. From Rancho Cucamonga, travelers will be able to connect to Los Angeles via Metrolink regional rail. Most of the rail route—96% of the track—will run within the median of Interstate 15.

With top speeds of 200 miles per hour, the train will whisk travelers along the full route from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga in just over two hours, about half the time it takes to drive between the two cities, according to Brightline.

The trains themselves will be all-electric and zero-emission. The company estimates that each seven-car train will carry up to 450 passengers, depending on the final layout of the cars. On board, passengers can expect perks like free Wi-Fi, snacks and drinks for purchase, and roomy seats. The standard seating