The Bureau of Land Management approved on Thursday the right of way proposal for a high-speed rail line to run from Las Vegas, NV to Victorville, CA. The DesertXpress plan had already received approval from the Surface Transportation Board in October and from the Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration in July.
The Bureau of Land Management expects to use 821 acres of public land in addition to the 2,800 acres of private land for the rail line. In order to complete the $6.5 billion project, the company needs to receive about $4.9 billion in federal loans. Construction is estimated to begin early in 2012.
The rail line will not reach Los Angeles, so residents of the city will have a slightly longer travel time than preferred. However, since the track will not pass through the San Gabriels, the cost of the project is significantly lower. Even with this extra travel time for Angelenos, the train, traveling at an estimated 150 miles per hour, is a much faster solution than driving to Las Vegas. Bypassing the 190 miles of traffic for an 80-minute train ride is generally thought to be worth the slight inconvenience. One way tickets will cost on average of $50 per passenger.
Posted in High-Speed Rail