LAS VEGAS (NEWSnet/AP) — Work is set to begin Monday on a $12 billion high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.

Brightline West, whose sister company operates a fast passenger train between Miami and Orlando in Florida, aims to lay 218 miles of new track between a terminal just south of the Las Vegas Strip to one in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Both terminals are part of the new construction plans.

CEO Mike Reininger has said the goal is to have trains operating in time for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

Much of the route will be in the median of Interstate 15, with a station stop in San Bernardino County’s Victorville area.

In a statement, Brightline Holdings founder and Chairperson Wes Edens called the moment “the foundation for a new industry.”

Brightline’s goal is to link U.S. cities that are too close to each other for flying to make sense, but too far for a convenient drive, Edens said. For example, the project outline says electric-powered trains will cut the four-hour trip across the Mojave Desert to a little more than two hours.

Brightline received $6.5 billion in backing from the Biden administration, including a $3 billion grant from federal infrastructure funds and approval to sell another $2.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds. The company won federal authorization in 2020 to sell $1 billion in similar bonds.

The project is touted as the first true high-speed passenger rail line in the nation, designed to reach speeds of 186 mph, comparable to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains.

Fares will be well below current airline travel costs. The trains will offer restrooms, Wi-Fi, food and beverage sales and the option to check luggage.

Las Vegas is a popular driving destination for Southern Californians. Officials hope the train line will relieve congestion on I-15, where motorists often sit in miles of crawling traffic while returning home from a Las Vegas weekend.

Proposals for connecting other U.S. cities with high-speed passenger trains have been introduced in recent years, including Dallas to Houston; Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina; and Chicago to St. Louis. Most of the plans have faced delays.

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