The promise of zero-emission high-speed trains whisking Angelenos to and from key destinations in California and Nevada in just a couple of hours has long been held out as an alternative to dealing with crowded airports or highways.
Two long-running projects have been trying to turn that promise into reality for Angelenos: the state-run California High-Speed Rail project aiming to link San Francisco and Los Angeles and the privately-run Brightline West project seeking to connect Las Vegas with Southern California.
But in recent months and years, both of these projects have faced mounting challenges, most notably skyrocketing costs and lengthy delays, raising serious doubts about the ability of either project to bring high-speed rail service to Angelenos.
Eighteen years after California voters approved a statewide high-speed rail project after being told the cost would be about $33 billion, not a single mile of track has been laid anywhere along the 494-mile route. What’s more, the projected high-end cost now involves putting the number “2” in front of that original $30 billion-plus figure. And what most Angelenos don’t realize is that this region is the last in line to receive funding and main-phase construction contracts for the high-speed rail project.
Meanwhile, 20 years after the first proposal surfaced for a high-speed rail project from Las Vegas to Southern California for $5 billion, the projected cost has more than quadrupled to $21.5 billion. And the route won’t even go directly into central Los Angeles; instead, passengers would have to take Metrolink trains between the Inland Empire and Union Station. Again, not a single mile of track has been laid to date; so far, there’s only a partially built rail station in Las Vegas.
The Business Journal took a look at how costs have soared and delays have mounted for each project and then assesses the prospects that, someday, Angelenos would be able to ride either one.
