LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The journey to get everyone on board building a train from Southern Nevada to Southern California has taken decades.
Thursday, Brightline West told FOX5 while there is no official date for construction they are “getting close.”
Since last year, engineering crews and geologists have been collecting soil samples up and down I-15, site of the future rail line, investigating the land that will support the track facilities and stations.
Soil samples taken are sent to a lab for an evaluation to help determine how the foundation for the track should be formed and how the site should be graded. With the trains being electrified testing is also needed to determine conductivity of the soil. Brightline West reported crews would collect soil samples from 10pm until to 7am Thursday night into Friday morning near Nipton, CA just across the state line.
While testing is still underway on the California side along the future rail corridor, Brightline West tells FOX5 in Nevada they are 99% done with field investigations. The data collected from these investigations help finalize the project’s designs as they ramp up to full scale construction.
The company originally projected the line would be ready in time for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 but that target has been pushed back.
Brightline West will connect Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, California and Metrolink (Southern California’s extensive rail system). Brightline’s all-electric rail service promises speeds up to 200 miles per hour meaning the 218 mile trip would only take about two hours.
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