Brightline West: The First True High-Speed Railroad Project in the United States

The modernization of technology is going on vigorously all over the world and the provision of ideal facilities is being ensured by the use of technology in every sector. Imagining such a life, many people prefer to live in America, which is also known as the giant of technology. Interestingly, a country that is constantly advancing in technology from Earth to space has not been able to provide a single high-speed train facility till date.

If you want to travel between two cities, rail is considered not only cheaper but also safer. This is the reason why most of the world’s population prefers to travel by rail due to better travel facilities, but in America, which is ahead of other countries in all other fields, this means of long travel has not been given much attention.

This was not always the case. The first railway line in the US was laid 200 Years Ago, and for almost a century afterwards, the American railway system was considered as one of the advanced railway networks in the world.

But by the middle of the 20th Century, everything had changed, including this scenario. It was a period of growth in the field of air travel, when it became possible for the American people to travel long distances in a short time. At the same time, due to the development in the automobile sector, the use of the car also increased. Then in the 1950s, the interstate highway system made long-distance travel easier and more convenient.

At the same time, interest in other means of transportation slowed the development of the railway sector in America. Interest in other means of transportation slowed the growth of the railroad sector in the United States, while in the 1960s the use of cars had increased 4 times and air travel had increased 15 Times compared to the 1940s. Another reason for this was that due to the interest of American citizens in traveling by car and air means, railway engineers also changed their field in research. This by no means meant that there was no plan for innovation in the railroad system in America.

Also Read: Chuo Shinkansen: Japan’s High-Speed Bullet Train Will Be a Game Changer

In 1965, when Japan launched the Shinkansen system in high-speed rail, then US President Lyndon Baines Johnson responded immediately and announced a trial project for a high-speed railway between the eastern cities of Washington and Boston.

For more than a decade, a project known as the North-Eastern Corridor continued test runs of railways at speeds of over 150 mph. By 1969, the project continued to facilitate travel at speeds of up to 120 mph, which was not much slower than in Japan.

But the speed of the American railway system has not improved significantly since then, and today Amtrak’s Acela line at north-east corridor still runs at 150 mph but only for a short distance, While in China, France, Spain and some other countries, the speed of high-speed railways has exceeded 200 mph and even more.

The question is, what is the minimum speed of a train that is considered high speed?

There is no official definition, but the International Union of Railways says that in Europe the definition of a minimum speed for newly built high-speed railways is 155 mph, while for upgraded high-speed railways it is 124 mph. In places where high-speed rail programs are in earlier developmental stages or where substantial speed increases are achieved by upgrading current infrastructure, lower minimum speed definitions of high-speed rail are used.

But in December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration announced $8.2 Billion in funding for 10 major passenger rail projects across the country, including the first world-class high-speed rail project in America’s history. American President Biden has already announced $30 Billion for rail projects across the country, including $16.4 Billion on the Northeast Corridor, $1.4 Billion for passenger rail and freight rail safety projects, and $570 Million to upgrade or mitigate railroad crossings. These historic projects will create tens of thousands of jobs, unlock economic opportunity for communities across the country.

There are also some projects under construction, with California High Speed Rail at the top. This rail road is under construction between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but after eight years, only 50% of this over 380 miles project has been completed.

So far, the cost of this project has been estimated at $128 Billion, while the acquisition of land in the way of the project has become a serious problem.

Another project is the Texas Central High Speed Railroad, the study of which is in progress. Also of particular note is the Cascadia Railroad project connecting Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, for which funds have been allocated for planning. However, there are no signs of completion of any of these projects in the near future.

Also Read: Chinese Maglev Hyperloop Train Will Travel at 1000 Km/h

But apart from them there is another project which is developing rapidly. The main reason for this development is Fortress Investment Group, which has already completed a project in Florida under the North-East Corridor. The 125 mph Brightline West from Miami to Orlando may not be considered high-speed, but it is the first $6 Billion privately funded railroad project in the country’s 100-year history.

Brightline has the backing of Wall Street, with plans to build and repair more than 50 bridges. One of them is the 100-year-old bridge over the St. Lucie River. This railroad project used the modern box-jacking method to move 3,000 Ton concrete sections to their positions under 2 highways with the help of hydraulic jacks.

The project also included the upgrading of portions of existing railroads, some of which are owned by Florida East Coast Railway. For the new section between Orlando and Cocoa, Brightline took full advantage of the state policy of building new railroads along highways. Under this policy, facilities can be provided for private sector passenger rail vehicles to cross highways.

Now we will talk about the company’s new and innovative high-speed rail project, which will be built in the opposite part of the country. The project, called Brightline West, is estimated to cost $12 Billion and would connect Las Vegas to the southern California city of Los Angeles, about 270 miles away. According to Brightline, it will be the first true high-speed railroad project in the United States, with a speed of 186 mph.

To give reality to this claim made before the start of construction on the project, it has been announced to be completed by Mid-2028. It will also be the time for the Olympics to be held in Los Angeles, which is likely to start on July 14.

Brightline West’s project would build a 218 miles long line from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, 40 miles east of Los Angeles. From here, passengers will be able to reach Las Vegas in an hour’s journey via Metrolink. Thanks to this project, the total travel time from Los Angeles to Las Vegas will be reduced from 5 Hours to 3 Hours.

Traffic jams are also commonly encountered while traveling by car on the highway between these two cities, which will be significantly reduced after the construction of the new railway to serve more than 11 Million Passengers Annually. An agreement has been reached with the California Department of Transportation for the project, under which approximately 96% of Brightline West will be built along the highway. Experts say that this project will help in reducing environmental pollution.

Like the Florida project, the construction of Brightline West will not rely solely on public funding, but most of its costs will be covered by private bonds and investments, while only $3.75 Billion will be taken from the government.

In this way, the project will be radically different from the California High Speed Railroad, which until now has depended solely on government funding.

The government has provided $25 Million in June 2023 for the design and construction of Brightline West, while the project also has strong support from both the states of Nevada and California.

Delays in the construction of high-speed railroads in the United States are now part of its history, and many Americans believe that such a project will never be completed. But on the other hand, the completed project in Florida has surprised many people and now the majority believe that the Brightline company has the ability to make this seemingly impossible task possible on the other side of the country.