Brightline, Caltrans to Sign Pact for Apple Valley to Rancho Cucamonga Rail Line

According to the Victorville Daily Press, March 14, 2023, the California Department of Transportation and Brightline West plan to enter a right-of-way use agreement for a portion of the high-speed rail project along Interstate 15 between Apple Valley and Rancho Cucamonga via the Cajon Pass. The agreement is designed to advance the development of the privately owned and operated electrified rail project that will connect Las Vegas to Southern California. Both entities previously executed a similar agreement to use a portion of the I-15 right of way between Apple Valley and the California/Nevada border. Together, these leases will allow the construction of approximately 185 miles of a 218-mile high-speed rail system designed to connect Las Vegas and Southern California with a fully electric, emission-free system that will include stations in Rancho Cucamonga, Hesperia, Apple Valley, and Las Vegas. Commuters from the Rancho Cucamonga station can board a Metrolink train bound for Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California. According to Brightline West, the project will bring significant environmental and economic benefits, including the projected elimination of 3 million cars annually and the reduction of more than 400,000 tons of carbon emissions yearly. Brightline officials believe the $10 billion investment will have widespread economic benefits, including creating nearly 35,000 jobs during construction and more than $10 billion in economic impact. Brightline West received $1 billion in private activity bonds from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help fund the project, Caltrans reported. The states of California and Nevada will do the borrowing funds, Bloomberg News reported.

The project

Construction of the line between Las Vegas and the Victor Valley has already been approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, which released an environmental assessment report for the stretch through the Cajon Pass. Caltrans, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Brightline West recently agreed to design and construct three wildlife overcrossing across I-15 and the future Brightline West high-speed rail system. This dedicated overcrossing will provide a sustainable and safe path for wildlife – especially for bighorn sheep – over the existing northbound and southbound highway lanes and the future high-speed rail system to be built within the median.

Funding

Town spokeswoman Shannon Dunkle in December 2022 told the Daily Press, “The project will continue seeking funding in early 2023 with an expected construction start date in late 2023.” The RJ article stated that if work proceeds as planned, the line could open in 2026 or 2027. Transportation leaders are eyeing the opening of the rail system in time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.