Construction of a high-speed rail line connecting Apple Valley, California to Las Vegas could begin this Spring. Brightline West, the company behind the investment, said that the $8 billion project is going ahead according to schedule.
The rail line would connect Apple Valley, California in San Bernardino County to Las Vegas with rapid trains that will be running along Interstate 15. Apple Valley is only 92 miles east of Los Angeles, which means that Los Angeles and Las Vegas would practically be connected by this train line.
The project stalled late last year when the initial stages of the development plan failed to attract any investors. Brightling West president Sarah Watterson said the coronavirus pandemic was partly to blame.
“Election uncertainty, the lack of approval of a COVID-19 vaccine, and lack of liquidity in the market did not allow us to price the bonds to provide long-term stability for the company.”, Watterson said. She also added that there is support this year for bond allocation.
However, Terry Reynolds, director of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, said Nevada has a limited amount of time to address the bond proposal. He said that decision on their end probably won’t happen before summer.
Joining Los Angeles and Las Vegas by a high-speed train isn’t a new idea, as it has been proposed for three and a half decades, with numerous attempts ultimately failing.
It is Nevada who will benefit the most from a high-speed rail line, as it would shorten the travel time for California residents and would likely become the preferred way to get to Las Vegas. Nearly one fifth of all visitors to Las Vegas are from Southern California.
Because of its remote location in the desert, Las Vegas largely relies on air travel to bring gamblers to the city. This has become the biggest issue for the gambling capital of the world, as global pandemic seriously hurt US air travel, and Las Vegas ended up simply not having enough visitors to keep the slot machines ticking.
Fewer visitors decide to go from California to Las Vegas by car as it’s a four- or five-hour drive, and a high-speed rail line, if constructed, could be the best thing that happens to Las Vegas in a while.
It has been incorrectly reported that the line will start in nearby Victorville, whereas it’s Apple Valley where the station will be built. The distance between Apple Valley and Las Vegas by car is 190 miles, and the distance is expected to be the same by train.
It remains to be seen what a high-speed train in this case is, as Amtrak’s Acela Express that reaches 150 mph is USA’s only high-speed rail service. If we expect speeds at around 110 mph for the Apple Valley – Las Vegas train, that would mean the duration of the ride would be 1 hour and 45 minutes.