127-754: Brightline West is a privately run high-speed rail route, currently under construction, to link the Las Vegas Valley and Rancho Cucamonga in Greater Los Angeles through the California high desert . The line will connect with existing rail at Rancho Cucamonga station of Metrolink 's San Bernardino Line , a commuter rail line in Southern California. The project is intended to provide an alternative to air and automobile travel between Southern California and Las Vegas ,
254-856: A memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority in 2020 for the spur between Apple Valley to Rancho Cucamonga, as it provided connectivity within the Inland Empire . Metrolink also approved a MOU to study the links to the Rancho Cucamonga and Palmdale Metrolink stations. A MOU was signed in October 2021 with the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), Caltrans, and California High-Speed Rail Authority, for
381-564: A 1,433 mi (3,711 km ) operating area and 2,000 peak hour buses on the street any given business day. Metro also operates 109 miles (175 km) of urban rail service. The authority has 10,290 employees, making it one of the region's largest employers. The authority also partially funds sixteen municipal bus operators and an array of transportation projects including bikeways and pedestrian facilities, local roads and highway improvements, goods movement, Metrolink regional commuter rail, Freeway Service Patrol and freeway call boxes within
508-597: A 18-mile (29 km) backup. Airlines have direct flights, but traffic and security at the airport add time to the short flight. Las Vegas lost its last passenger train service in 1997 when Amtrak canceled the Desert Wind . In September 2018, Fortress Investment Group , which owns an inter-city rail route in Florida called Brightline , announced that it would acquire the federally approved XpressWest rail corridor project, indicating that it would begin construction of
635-408: A carbody design that would reduce wind resistance at high speeds. A long series of tests was carried. In 1905, St. Louis Car Company built a railcar for the traction magnate Henry E. Huntington , capable of speeds approaching 160 km/h (100 mph). Once it ran 32 km (20 mi) between Los Angeles and Long Beach in 15 minutes, an average speed of 130 km/h (80 mph). However, it
762-569: A document with Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials in June 2012 to explore the plan to build a 50-mile (80 km) high-speed rail link between Victor Valley and Palmdale. The link would initially connect to the Metrolink system in Palmdale. This would allow passengers to complete a train ride between Los Angeles and Las Vegas with one transfer, by using Metrolink in
889-705: A head in the 1980s. At that time, the LACTC was building the Blue Line (now A Line) light rail line between Los Angeles and Long Beach , while the RTD was building the Red Line (now B Line) subway in Downtown Los Angeles. It was revealed that due to disputes between the agencies, the LACTC was planning to end the Blue Line at Pico Station , instead of serving the 7th Street/Metro Center station being built by
1016-578: A high-speed railway network in Russian gauge . There are no narrow gauge high-speed railways. Countries whose legacy network is entirely or mostly of a different gauge than 1435mm – including Japan and Spain – have however often opted to build their high speed lines to standard gauge instead of the legacy railway gauge. High-speed rail is the fastest and most efficient ground-based method of commercial transportation. However, due to requirements for large track curves, gentle gradients and grade separated track
1143-533: A joint venture to design, build, and operate the service between Las Vegas and Palmdale, with construction planned to begin in September 2016. A CAHSRA spokesperson said that there have been ongoing discussions concerning allowing the trains to use California High-Speed Rail lines to go further into the Los Angeles area, although no commitments had been made. High-speed rail High-speed rail ( HSR )
1270-408: A less than 1 ⁄ 4 -mile walk to their bus stop. Section 1 of the D Line Extension will add three new subway stations to the D Line at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cienega. Construction on Section 1 began in 2014 and is expected to be complete in 2025. Section 2 to Century City is expected to be completed in 2026, followed by Section 3 to Westwood in 2027. Metro
1397-631: A letter in April 2023 in support of the funding. In December 2023, the United States Department of Transportation awarded Brightline West $ 3 billion of the grant request and in September 2024 signed it. In January 2024, Brightline West received $ 2.5 billion of private activity bonds from the US Department of Transportation in additon to $ 1 billion given in 2020. The remainder of the cost (estimated at $ 12 billion as of April 2024)
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#17327725345961524-453: A maximum grade of 3.5%. Brightline was in active discussion until mid-2024 with Alstom and Siemens Mobility to procure rolling stock for the service and for potential future routes. In May 2024, Siemens announced that Brightline had selected them as the preferred train vendor for Brightline West service. The initial order consists of 10 seven-car American Pioneer 220 trainsets, with a capacity of 434-450 passengers. The service plans to use
1651-672: A new factory in Horseheads, New York . Oak View Group plans a 20,000-seat arena on a 25-acre (10 ha) site adjacent to the Las Vegas station . This project is part of a larger 66-acre (27 ha) development envisioned as a sports and entertainment district. According to Tim Leiweke , CEO of Oak View Group, this is a prime location for future growth in Las Vegas' gaming and entertainment corridor. PCM Railone AG [ de ] announced in June 2024 that they would build
1778-495: A new top speed for a regular service, with a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). This train was a streamlined multi-powered unit, albeit diesel, and used Jakobs bogies . Following the success of the Hamburg line, the steam-powered Henschel-Wegmann Train was developed and introduced in June 1936 for service from Berlin to Dresden , with a regular top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). Incidentally no train service since
1905-570: A popular leisure destination. In December 2023, the United States Department of Transportation awarded Brightline West a $ 3 billion grant as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act . Construction, initially expected to begin shortly after the grant was announced in 2023, began on April 22, 2024. Revenue service is planned to start in 2028. The line was developed starting in 2005 as DesertXpress and has passed through several developers and investors. In September 2018,
2032-522: A production facility for concrete ties and open a North American headquarters in North Las Vegas . The original plan under the name DesertXpress was to provide an alternative to automobile travel and airline travel between the Los Angeles area and the Las Vegas area along Interstate 15 . The city of Victorville was selected as the location for the westernmost terminal , as extending
2159-555: A some other interurban rail cars reached about 145 km/h (90 mph) in commercial traffic. The Red Devils weighed only 22 tons though they could seat 44 passengers. Extensive wind tunnel research – the first in the railway industry – was done before J. G. Brill in 1931 built the Bullet cars for Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W). They were capable of running at 148 km/h (92 mph). Some of them were almost 60 years in service. P&W's Norristown High Speed Line
2286-425: A state's housing policies, since the living situation of one affects the methods of transportation its residents will take. This transit agency can measure successful projects through key pointers such as low income ridership increase and an increase of favorable environmental and health factors for its public community. Increased low income ridership is a significant factor because that focus group tends to makes up
2413-569: A world record for narrow gauge trains at 145 km/h (90 mph), giving the Odakyu engineers confidence they could safely and reliably build even faster trains at standard gauge. Conventional Japanese railways up until that point had largely been built in the 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) Cape gauge , however widening the tracks to standard gauge ( 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in )) would make very high-speed rail much simpler due to improved stability of
2540-528: Is $ 1.75. Metro introduced daily and weekly fare caps in July 2023, replacing daily, weekly, and monthly passes. With fare capping, the cost of each trip is credited towards the cost of a daily or weekly unlimited pass, automatically ensuring that all passengers pay the lowest fare possible. Discounted or free fares are available for seniors, disabled individuals, Medicare recipients, low-income individuals, and students. The primary method of payment for Metro fares
2667-462: Is $ 7.2 billion. Below is the funding breakdown from Metro's fiscal year 2020 budget: The agency is a public transportation and planning agency that lies under the jurisdiction of the State of California. Although it falls under State regulations, it can also partake in regional and municipal levels of rule during a transportation development project. For example, it can play a role in policies regarding
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#17327725345962794-511: Is a direct route between the two regions. An estimated 50 million people travel between Los Angeles and Las Vegas annually, with 85% using a car. Travel by automobile takes over four hours while scheduled buses cover the route in five to seven hours. As an important freight route , reduced congestion on Interstate 15 would benefit the supply chain . The highway carries heavy traffic on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday which causes significant delays. Motorists returning to Los Angeles on Sunday can create
2921-476: Is a set of unique features, not merely a train travelling above a particular speed. Many conventionally hauled trains are able to reach 200 km/h (124 mph) in commercial service but are not considered to be high-speed trains. These include the French SNCF Intercités and German DB IC . The criterion of 200 km/h (124 mph) is selected for several reasons; above this speed,
3048-459: Is a type of rail transport network utilizing trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks . While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines built to handle speeds above 250 km/h (155 mph) or upgraded lines in excess of 200 km/h (125 mph) are widely considered to be high-speed. The first high-speed rail system,
3175-517: Is across from the Premium Outlets South mall . The two-story station will feature retail and restaurant space. The Las Vegas station on Las Vegas Boulevard was announced in 2020. The land was acquired in July 2021. In April 2023, renderings of the Las Vegas station were released. Victor Valley station will be in the northeast portion of the town of Apple Valley , adjacent to I-15 at Dale Evans Parkway. Passenger platforms will be in
3302-577: Is also operating a substantial number of battery electric buses , notably on the G Line busway which has seen all CNG buses replaced with battery electric ones, and has plans to convert into a fully electric bus system. Buses feature on-board visual displays and automatic voice announcement systems that announce the next stop. The Metro Rail fleet is broken down into two main types: light rail vehicles and rapid transit cars (commonly called subway cars in Los Angeles). Metro's light rail vehicles, used on
3429-660: Is considering re-programming around $ 2 billion in Measure M funding slated for the High Desert Corridor, a proposed freeway between Victorville and Palmdale, cancelled in October 2019, to instead create a development plan for an extension of the XpressWest route between the two cities. In February 2023, the company applied for $ 3.75 billion in funding from Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act . A bipartisan congressional group from Nevada and California wrote
3556-533: Is constructing an extension of the A Line to Pomona–North station . The first phase of this extension, to Azusa , opened on March 5, 2016. Groundbreaking for the second phase to Pomona occurred on December 2, 2017, with construction starting in July 2020. The project is expected to be completed in January 2025. Metro, in partnership with LA Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC, is currently proposing to construct an aerial gondola system to connect Dodger Stadium and
3683-499: Is currently implementing its "NextGen Bus Plan," a major restructuring of the agency's routes. The plan eliminates most of the Metro Rapid routes and low-performing Metro Local lines to invest in the remaining routes. Metro says the plan will double the number of frequent bus lines (defined as a bus every 10 minutes or better) and expand midday, evening, and weekend service while ensuring that 99% of current riders continue to have
3810-630: Is expected to be privately financed. The company initiated planning on a rail line over the Cajon Pass to Rancho Cucamonga in June 2020. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021 has billions of dollars for rail projects which provides expanded opportunities for companies such as Brightline. In January 2022, the Federal Transportation Department's Federal Rail Administration began reviewing
3937-454: Is overseen by Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Wiggins. Metro is a joint powers authority governed by a board of directors with 14 members, 13 of whom are voting members. The Board is composed of: While the Metro board makes decisions on large issues, they rely on Service Councils to advise on smaller decisions, such as on bus stop placement and over bus service changes. To enable this work,
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4064-539: Is still in use, almost 110 years after P&W in 1907 opened their double-track Upper Darby–Strafford line without a single grade crossing with roads or other railways. The entire line was governed by an absolute block signal system. On 15 May 1933, the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft company introduced the diesel-powered " Fliegender Hamburger " in regular service between Hamburg and Berlin (286 km or 178 mi), thereby achieving
4191-699: Is the TAP card , a contactless stored-value card . TAP cards are valid on Metro buses and trains, and on 25 other transit agencies in Los Angeles County. TAP cards are required for Metro Rail trips, free bus transfers, and fare capping; however, single-ride bus fares can still be paid in cash. TAP cards can be purchased at station fare machines , local vendors, online, and at Metro Customer Care Centers. Fare gates are installed at all B, C, D and K Line stations, along with select A and E Line stations. Fare gates were added after 2007 to reduce fare evasion . At
4318-756: Is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the public transportation system in Los Angeles County, California , the most populated county in the United States . The agency directly operates a large transit system that includes bus , light rail , heavy rail (subway) , and bus rapid transit services. Metro also provides funding for transit it does not operate, including Metrolink commuter rail, municipal bus operators and paratransit services. The agency also provides funding and directs planning for railroad and highway projects within Los Angeles County. In 2023,
4445-862: Is the primary bus operator in the Los Angeles Basin , the San Fernando Valley , and the western San Gabriel Valley . Other regions of Los Angeles County, including the Antelope Valley and the eastern San Gabriel Valley, are served by separate bus operators, which receive some funding from Metro. As of June 2023 , the Metro Bus system includes 117 routes, serving over 11,000 bus stops. Most Metro Bus lines are local services, stopping at marked stops approximately every two blocks. Limited-stop Metro Rapid services stop only at major intersections, and Metro Express services utilize
4572-619: The Chicago-New York Electric Air Line Railroad project to reduce the running time between the two big cities to ten hours by using electric 160 km/h (99 mph) locomotives. After seven years of effort, however, less than 50 km (31 mi) of arrow-straight track was finished. A part of the line is still used as one of the last interurbans in the US. In the US, some of the interurbans (i.e. trams or streetcars which run from city to city) of
4699-553: The 0 Series Shinkansen , built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries – in English often called "Bullet Trains", after the original Japanese name Dangan Ressha ( 弾丸列車 ) – outclassed the earlier fast trains in commercial service. They traversed the 515 km (320 mi) distance in 3 hours 10 minutes, reaching a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph) and sustaining an average speed of 162.8 km/h (101.2 mph) with stops at Nagoya and Kyoto. Speed
4826-790: The American Pioneer 220 , an American variant of the Siemens Velaro Novo high-speed electric multiple unit. Brightline would be the first customer of the Siemens Velaro Novo platform, which has been tested in Germany using the ICE-S train , and has a designed top speed of 225 mph (360 km/h). The service will use up to 25 train pairs, traveling up to 200 miles per hour (320 km/h), at 45 minute intervals. The Siemens rolling stock will be assembled at
4953-681: The Aérotrain , a French hovercraft monorail train prototype, reached 200 km/h (120 mph) within days of operation. After the successful introduction of the Japanese Shinkansen in 1964, at 210 km/h (130 mph), the German demonstrations up to 200 km/h (120 mph) in 1965, and the proof-of-concept jet-powered Aérotrain , SNCF ran its fastest trains at 160 km/h (99 mph). In 1966, French Infrastructure Minister Edgard Pisani consulted engineers and gave
5080-470: The Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service . While plans at first called for a fully double-track railway along the route, Brightline intends to initially build the project as a mostly single-track route with passing sidings , in part because additional sections were moved to the highway median where space is more limited. In the original plan, the route did not extend into Los Angeles due to
5207-590: The Marienfelde – Zossen line during 1902 and 1903 (see Experimental three-phase railcar ). On 23 October 1903, the S&;H-equipped railcar achieved a speed of 206.7 km/h (128.4 mph) and on 27 October the AEG-equipped railcar achieved 210.2 km/h (130.6 mph). These trains demonstrated the feasibility of electric high-speed rail; however, regularly scheduled electric high-speed rail travel
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5334-490: The Metro Headquarters Building , a 26-story high-rise office tower located next to Union Station , a major transportation hub and the main train station for the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which it has also owned since purchasing it in 2011. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates the third-largest public transportation system in the United States by ridership with
5461-647: The Morning Hiawatha service, hauled at 160 km/h (99 mph) by steam locomotives. In 1939, the largest railroad of the world, the Pennsylvania Railroad introduced a duplex steam engine Class S1 , which was designed to be capable of hauling 1200 tons passenger trains at 161 km/h (100 mph). The S1 engine was assigned to power the popular all-coach overnight premier train the Trail Blazer between New York and Chicago since
5588-545: The Prussian state railway joined with ten electrical and engineering firms and electrified 72 km (45 mi) of military owned railway between Marienfelde and Zossen . The line used three-phase current at 10 kilovolts and 45 Hz . The Van der Zypen & Charlier company of Deutz, Cologne built two railcars, one fitted with electrical equipment from Siemens-Halske , the second with equipment from Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG), that were tested on
5715-812: The Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD or more often, RTD) and the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC). The RTD was founded on August 18, 1964, to operate most public transportation in the urbanized Southern California region, including Los Angeles, San Bernardino , Orange , and Riverside counties. RTD replaced the major predecessor public agency, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority , and took over eleven failing other bus companies and services in
5842-729: The Tōkaidō Shinkansen , began operations in Honshu , Japan, in 1964. Due to the streamlined spitzer -shaped nose cone of the trains , the system also became known by its English nickname bullet train . Japan's example was followed by several European countries, initially in Italy with the Direttissima line, followed shortly thereafter by France , Germany , and Spain . Today, much of Europe has an extensive network with numerous international connections. More recent construction since
5969-470: The United Kingdom , the United States , and Uzbekistan . Only in continental Europe and Asia does high-speed rail cross international borders. High-speed trains mostly operate on standard gauge tracks of continuously welded rail on grade-separated rights of way with large radii . However, certain regions with wider legacy railways , including Russia and Uzbekistan, have sought to develop
6096-474: The World Bank , whilst supporting the project, considered the design of the equipment as unproven for that speed, and set the maximum speed to 210 km/h (130 mph). After initial feasibility tests, the plan was fast-tracked and construction of the first section of the line started on 20 April 1959. In 1963, on the new track, test runs hit a top speed of 256 km/h (159 mph). Five years after
6223-423: The 186 mi (299 km) trip from Victorville to Las Vegas in about 1 hour 24 minutes. In March 2010, executives with the project said they expected construction to begin in 2010. In October 2011, construction was planned to begin in the last quarter of 2012, with completion in the last quarter of 2016, subject to funding. In June 2012, the developer announced a new plan to build a network of high-speed rail for
6350-573: The 21st century has led to China taking a leading role in high-speed rail. As of 2023 , China's HSR network accounted for over two-thirds of the world's total. In addition to these, many other countries have developed high-speed rail infrastructure to connect major cities, including: Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , Greece , Indonesia , Morocco , the Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Portugal , Russia , Saudi Arabia , Serbia , South Korea , Sweden , Switzerland , Taiwan , Turkey ,
6477-547: The 49-mile segment (79 km) that would allow speeds of up to 180 miles per hour (290 km/h). The environmental report for the Rancho Cucamonga route was released in October 2022. The environmental report includes the location of the proposed intermediate station in Hesperia . The report notes some mitigation measures will be necessary: temporary impacts on noise and wetlands, temporary and permanent impacts on some threatened or endangered species, visual impacts on views in
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#17327725345966604-400: The A, C, E, and K Lines, are 87-foot (26.52 m) articulated , high-floor double-ended cars, powered by overhead catenary lines , which typically run in two or three car consists. Metro's subway cars, used on the B and D Lines, are 75-foot (22.86 m) electric multiple unit , married-pair cars, powered by electrified third rail , that typically run in four or six car consists. Metro
6731-513: The Budget were the main opponents to the federal loan application of XpressWest. They argued that the project represented high risk to the taxpayer. They wrote to then- Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in March 2013 and recommended the administration to reject the loan application. The letter indicated that the total cost was estimated to be $ 6.9 billion. The $ 1.4 billion would come from
6858-624: The City of Los Angeles) in the City of Long Beach, the Long Beach Police Department and in the City of Santa Monica, California the Santa Monica Police Department . Interactive Metro Rail and Busway map Metro Rail is a rail mass transit system with two subway and four light rail lines. As of November 2024 , the system runs a total of 109 miles (175 km), with 102 stations . Metro
6985-626: The County of Los Angeles. To increase sustainability in transportation services, Metro also provides bike and pedestrian improvements for the over 10.1 million residents of Los Angeles County . Security and law enforcement services on Metro property (including buses and trains) are currently provided by the Transit Services Bureau via contract, in conjunction with Metro Transit Enforcement Department , Los Angeles Police Department (Union Station and all LACMTA rail services within
7112-642: The French National Railway started to receive their new powerful CC 7100 electric locomotives, and began to study and evaluate running at higher speeds. In 1954, the CC 7121 hauling a full train achieved a record 243 km/h (151 mph) during a test on standard track. The next year, two specially tuned electric locomotives, the CC 7107 and the prototype BB 9004, broke previous speed records, reaching respectively 320 km/h (200 mph) and 331 km/h (206 mph), again on standard track. For
7239-565: The French National Railways twelve months to raise speeds to 200 km/h (120 mph). The classic line Paris– Toulouse was chosen, and fitted, to support 200 km/h (120 mph) rather than 140 km/h (87 mph). Some improvements were set, notably the signals system, development of on board "in-cab" signalling system, and curve revision. The next year, in May 1967, a regular service at 200 km/h (120 mph)
7366-417: The Los Angeles area and a transfer to the high-speed train at Palmdale station. The station would eventually connect with California High-Speed Rail , and is designed to have the same specifications and technology, allowing it to continue on California High-Speed Rail further into Burbank and Los Angeles . The early estimate of the costs for this link was $ 1.5 billion. and the earliest environmental work
7493-561: The Metro system had a total ridership of 284,901,000, and had a ridership of 963,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. It is the largest transit agency by ridership in the state of California , and the third-largest in the United States. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority was formed on February 1, 1993, by the California State Legislature which merged two rival agencies:
7620-412: The RTD six blocks north. LA Metro has assumed the functions of both agencies and now develops and oversees transportation plans, policies, funding programs, and both short-term and long-range solutions to mobility, accessibility and environmental needs in the county. The agency is also the primary public transit provider for the city of Los Angeles , the second largest city in the United States, providing
7747-412: The San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, and traffic impacts around stations in Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga. The report concludes that the project "will not result in a significant impact on the environment" or have "disproportionately high and adverse impacts" on low-income or minority populations. The environmental permit was approved in July 2023. The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority
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#17327725345967874-404: The Southern California region. Services outside of Los Angeles County began to be divested in the early 1980s. The LACTC began operation in 1977 after a state requirement that all counties form local transportation commissions. Its main objective was to be the guardian of all transportation funding, both transit and highway, for Los Angeles County. The bickering between the two agencies came to
8001-413: The US, 160 km/h (99 mph) in Germany and 125 mph (201 km/h) in Britain. Above those speeds positive train control or the European Train Control System becomes necessary or legally mandatory. National domestic standards may vary from the international ones. Railways were the first form of rapid land transportation and had an effective monopoly on long-distance passenger traffic until
8128-427: The airport from this station. The High Desert Corridor is a proposed high-speed rail connection between Brightline West and California High-Speed Rail . It will connect Victor Valley station and Palmdale station . At Palmdale, passengers can connect to the existing Metrolink service or continue into Los Angeles using California High-Speed Rail's tracks. In June 2020, the company entered into an agreement to lease
8255-403: The beginning of the construction work, in October 1964, just in time for the Olympic Games , the first modern high-speed rail, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen , was opened between the two cities; a 510 km (320 mi) line between Tokyo and Ōsaka. As a result of its speeds, the Shinkansen earned international publicity and praise, and it was dubbed the "bullet train." The first Shinkansen trains,
8382-404: The bulk of such services. even though the city's own Los Angeles Department of Transportation LADOT operates a smaller bus only public transit system of its own called DASH within the MTA service area in the city of Los Angeles, often overlapping with some Metro Bus routes and stops in several neighborhoods primarily in the central part of the city. Since 1995 the agency has been based out of
8509-443: The cancelation of this express train in 1939 has traveled between the two cities in a faster time as of 2018 . In August 2019, the travel time between Dresden-Neustadt and Berlin-Südkreuz was 102 minutes. See Berlin–Dresden railway . Further development allowed the usage of these "Fliegenden Züge" (flying trains) on a rail network across Germany. The "Diesel-Schnelltriebwagen-Netz" (diesel high-speed-vehicle network) had been in
8636-562: The construction of high-speed rail is more costly than conventional rail and therefore does not always present an economical advantage over conventional speed rail. Multiple definitions for high-speed rail are in use worldwide. The European Union Directive 96/48/EC, Annex 1 (see also Trans-European high-speed rail network ) defines high-speed rail in terms of: The International Union of Railways (UIC) identifies three categories of high-speed rail: A third definition of high-speed and very high-speed rail requires simultaneous fulfilment of
8763-451: The cost of construction at $ 8 billion in 2020. In September 2020, up to $ 3.2 billion in the tax-exempt, private activity bonds were offered. In November, it was decided to let the rights for the sale of the bonds lapse. A bond sale was planned for 2021 but was moved to 2022 to allow continued progress on project planning and for the bonds to be more attractive to investors. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
8890-444: The councils call and conduct public hearings, evaluate Metro programs in their area, and meet with management staff. There are five Service Councils, each representing a different region: Gateway Cities , San Fernando Valley , San Gabriel Valley , South Bay , and Westside/Central . Each council is led by a board composed of a political appointees. Members of Metro staff also sit on the boards of other joint powers authorities across
9017-464: The curve radius should be quadrupled; the same was true for the acceleration and braking distances. In 1891 engineer Károly Zipernowsky proposed a high-speed line from Vienna to Budapest for electric railcars at 250 km/h (160 mph). In 1893 Wellington Adams proposed an air-line from Chicago to St. Louis of 252 miles (406 km), at a speed of only 160 km/h (99 mph). Alexander C. Miller had greater ambitions. In 1906, he launched
9144-603: The deputy director Marcel Tessier at the DETE ( SNCF Electric traction study department). JNR engineers returned to Japan with a number of ideas and technologies they would use on their future trains, including alternating current for rail traction, and international standard gauge. In 1957, the engineers at the private Odakyu Electric Railway in Greater Tokyo Area launched the Odakyu 3000 series SE EMU. This EMU set
9271-508: The development of the motor car and airliners in the early-mid 20th century. Speed had always been an important factor for railroads and they constantly tried to achieve higher speeds and decrease journey times. Rail transportation in the late 19th century was not much slower than non-high-speed trains today, and many railroads regularly operated relatively fast express trains which averaged speeds of around 100 km/h (62 mph). High-speed rail development began in Germany in 1899 when
9398-595: The early 20th century were very high-speed for their time (also Europe had and still does have some interurbans). Several high-speed rail technologies have their origin in the interurban field. In 1903 – 30 years before the conventional railways started to streamline their trains – the officials of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition organised the Electric Railway Test Commission to conduct a series of tests to develop
9525-474: The extensive Southern California freeways to provide nonstop service between regional destinations. Metro Busway is a bus rapid transit system with two lines operating on dedicated or shared-use busways . The system runs a total of 55.7 miles (89.6 km), with 29 stations and over 42,000 daily weekday boardings as of May 2016. The Metro Busway system is meant to mimic the Metro Rail system, both in
9652-414: The first full year of operation, with the company charging fares of around $ 50 for a one-way trip between Victorville and Las Vegas. In 2012, the round-trip fare was planned to be around $ 89, with trains expected to run every 20 minutes on peak, and up to every 12 minutes as demand requires. As of 2020, the stated frequency is 45 minutes between departures. In 2023, Brightline West relocated more sections of
9779-579: The first phase of the project. Passengers would transfer to Metrolink to access the Los Angeles area. In June 2020, the company initiated planning on a rail line south of Apple Valley over the Cajon Pass to Rancho Cucamonga to provide more direct Los Angeles service, while not ruling out the Palmdale expansion. The details of other sections have not been announced. Later phases may include extensions to Phoenix, Arizona ; Salt Lake City, Utah ; or Denver, Colorado . In 2009, XpressWest estimated that it would carry around five million round trip passengers in
9906-438: The first time, 300 km/h (185 mph) was surpassed, allowing the idea of higher-speed services to be developed and further engineering studies commenced. Especially, during the 1955 records, a dangerous hunting oscillation , the swaying of the bogies which leads to dynamic instability and potential derailment was discovered. This problem was solved by yaw dampers which enabled safe running at high speeds today. Research
10033-575: The following two conditions: The UIC prefers to use "definitions" (plural) because they consider that there is no single standard definition of high-speed rail, nor even standard usage of the terms ("high speed", or "very high speed"). They make use of the European EC Directive 96/48, stating that high speed is a combination of all the elements which constitute the system: infrastructure, rolling stock and operating conditions. The International Union of Railways states that high-speed rail
10160-417: The full funding amount through exclusively private investors, but had also applied for a $ 4.9 billion loan through the federal Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program. As of October 2011, the start of the project was contingent on receiving a $ 6 billion loan from the federal government, the approval or denial of which was expected in mid-2012. A preferred design was identified with
10287-489: The high cost of building rail in urban areas. The 50-mile (80 km) extension from Victor Valley to the city of Palmdale , where it would connect to the California High-Speed Rail system currently in development, in order to provide service to Los Angeles, was not included in the initial phase. In June 2012, the new plan included the link between Victor Valley and Palmdale as part of construction for
10414-496: The high-speed rail project. 70% of the company was held by Anthony A. Marnell II of Marnell Corrao Associates through his DX, LLC company. Gary Tharaldson and François Badeau held 20 and 10%, respectively. In 2006, the preparation of a first Federal Railroad Administration -Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was started. The total cost of the link between Apple Valley and Las Vegas was expected to be around US$ 5 billion. In March 2010, project planners said they could obtain
10541-414: The impacts of geometric defects are intensified, track adhesion is decreased, aerodynamic resistance is greatly increased, pressure fluctuations within tunnels cause passenger discomfort, and it becomes difficult for drivers to identify trackside signalling. Standard signaling equipment is often limited to speeds below 200 km/h (124 mph), with the traditional limits of 127 km/h (79 mph) in
10668-520: The indefinite suspension of the federal loan application, which was viewed as a denial of the application, the developer indicated that the XpressWest project would proceed without providing the details on financial plan. In 2014, Nevada Senator Harry Reid mentioned that the federal loan request may resurface, but little had been seen so far of the project's continued viability. In 2015, the Nevada High-Speed Rail Authority
10795-461: The initial ones despite greater speeds). After decades of research and successful testing on a 43 km (27 mi) test track, in 2014 JR Central began constructing a Maglev Shinkansen line, which is known as the Chūō Shinkansen . These Maglev trains still have the traditional underlying tracks and the cars have wheels. This serves a practical purpose at stations and a safety purpose out on
10922-542: The late 1940s and it consistently reached 161 km/h (100 mph) in its service life. These were the last "high-speed" trains to use steam power. In 1936, the Twin Cities Zephyr entered service, from Chicago to Minneapolis, with an average speed of 101 km/h (63 mph). Many of these streamliners posted travel times comparable to or even better than their modern Amtrak successors, which are limited to 127 km/h (79 mph) top speed on most of
11049-518: The line was rebranded to Brightline West, and is being called "a Brightline affiliated company." A high speed line following the Palmdale–Apple Valley–Las Vegas route was included in the 2018 California State Rail Plan as part of the 2040 timeline of projects. Subsequently, the state of California issued tax-exempt, private activity bonds to XpressWest to partially fund construction. These bonds are meant to assist private ventures for
11176-432: The lines in the event of a power failure. However, in normal operation, the wheels are raised up into the car as the train reaches certain speeds where the magnetic levitation effect takes over. It will link Tokyo and Osaka by 2037, with the section from Tokyo to Nagoya expected to be operational by 2027. Maximum speed is anticipated at 505 km/h (314 mph). The first generation train can be ridden by tourists visiting
11303-479: The majority of public transit ridership. Favorable environmental and health factors are also relevant factors because they indicate a positive relationship within the space developed and its residents. Most of Metro's bus fleet is powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), the largest such fleet in the United States. Using CNG reduces emissions of particulates by 90%, carbon monoxide by 80%, and greenhouse gases by 20% compared to diesel powered buses. The agency
11430-457: The median of I-15 and accessed via walkway under the northbound lanes of the highway. A station in Hesperia will be built in the median of I-15 at the Joshua St exit. Trains will make limited stops here in the morning and evening. The line will continue into the Greater Los Angeles area, terminating at Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink station . Service to a planned transit center incorporating
11557-505: The network. The German high-speed service was followed in Italy in 1938 with an electric-multiple-unit ETR 200 , designed for 200 km/h (120 mph), between Bologna and Naples. It too reached 160 km/h (99 mph) in commercial service, and achieved a world mean speed record of 203 km/h (126 mph) between Florence and Milan in 1938. In Great Britain in the same year, the streamlined steam locomotive Mallard achieved
11684-469: The official world speed record for steam locomotives at 202.58 km/h (125.88 mph). The external combustion engines and boilers on steam locomotives were large, heavy and time and labor-intensive to maintain, and the days of steam for high speed were numbered. In 1945, a Spanish engineer, Alejandro Goicoechea , developed a streamlined, articulated train that was able to run on existing tracks at higher speeds than contemporary passenger trains. This
11811-403: The planned Las Vegas station site, marking the official start of construction. Heavy construction is scheduled to begin in early 2025. The tracks are planned to be laid in the median of Interstate 15 , aside from a short section connecting to Rancho Cucamonga and a section on the east side of the highway approaching the Las Vegas station. Sections will pass through federal land controlled by
11938-608: The planning since 1934 but it never reached its envisaged size. All high-speed service stopped in August 1939 shortly before the outbreak of World War II . On 26 May 1934, one year after Fliegender Hamburger introduction, the Burlington Railroad set an average speed record on long distance with their new streamlined train, the Zephyr , at 124 km/h (77 mph) with peaks at 185 km/h (115 mph). The Zephyr
12065-489: The private sources and the remaining $ 5.5 billion would come from the federal loan. The letter cited a taxpayer risk analysis report as a basis of their recommendation. In July 2013, there were reports that loan was indefinitely suspended, which were later confirmed by the federal government, which said that it had been suspended in part due to the failure of the application in regard to the "Buy America" policy, which required applicants to use American-made products. Despite
12192-480: The project known as XpressWest , was acquired by Fortress Investment Group , which owns Brightline in Florida, the only privately run inter-city rail route in the United States. An extension of Brightline West from Victor Valley to the California High-Speed Rail station in Palmdale is also under consideration. Las Vegas is a gambling and tourist destination for the Greater Los Angeles area. Interstate 15
12319-652: The project. Vehicles will require a high power-to-weight ratio to climb steep grades on the planned route – up to 4.5% between Victorville and Las Vegas, and up to 6% through Cajon Pass. The Velaro series was designed for the German high speed rail system which has grades up to 4% on the Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line . This is a higher climbing performance than specified by the European Union's Technical Specifications for Interoperability , which mandate
12446-529: The public interest. In September 2019, it was announced that California would assist the project in funding. In October 2019 California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank approved $ 3.25 billion in bonds. In April 2020, California government officials signed off on issuing $ 600 million in tax-exempt private activity bonds for XpressWest. The state of Nevada allocated the company an additional $ 200 million in private activity bonds in July 2020. Cofounder and co-CEO of Fortress, Wes Edens , estimated
12573-424: The rail line in the second half of 2020 with expected completion in the second half of 2024. After some delays, groundbreaking began on April 22, 2024 with expected service starting sometime in 2028. The project is expected to generate around 18,000 jobs at its peak. Los Angeles County finished an environmental assessment for the project in 2016. In October 2019, design plans were almost 30% complete. In September 2020,
12700-443: The region by expanding to Arizona, Utah and Colorado. The initial phase was to include high-speed tracks, Las Vegas to Apple Valley and Apple Valley to Palmdale. The 185-mile (298 km) link between Las Vegas and Victorville was designed to be double-tracked which is dedicated for the high-speed trains. The costs of this section was estimated at $ 6.9 billion. The developer would put up $ 1.4 billion in private investment and
12827-1150: The region, including the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency , the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority , the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority , the Southern California Regional Rail Authority , the High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency, and the Inglewood Transit Connector Joint Powers Authority . Chair Vice Chair 2nd Vice Chair Executive Board Members Ex-officio Board Member A complex mix of federal, state, county and city tax dollars as well as bonds and fare box revenue funds Metro. The Metro budget for 2020
12954-703: The release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement in April 2011, which began a public comment period that ended in May 2011. The federal government approved the design in July 2011. The planned route was approved by the Surface Transportation Board in October 2011. The trains were to be self-propelled, all electric multiple unit (EMU) trains with maximum speed of 150 mph (240 km/h). The train would travel at speeds of up to 150 mph (240 km/h) averaging 130 mph (210 km/h) and making
13081-568: The rest of funding would borrowed under the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program provided by the Federal Railroad Administration . Future plans include a link between Las Vegas and Phoenix, Arizona, and another from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City, Utah, and Denver, Colorado. The project was rebranded to XpressWest to reflect the expanded mission. DesertXpress Enterprises signed
13208-771: The route into the median of I-15. The Victor Valley station was reconfigured to have passenger platforms in the highway median. The vehicle maintenance facility was moved from the Victor Valley site to a 246-acre parcel (100 ha) west of I-15 in Sloan, Nevada , and will connect to the Union Pacific mainline at this location. The Las Vegas station will be south of the Las Vegas Strip on Las Vegas Boulevard in Enterprise . The 110-acre site (45 ha)
13335-660: The sheep and other wildlife. Under an agreement with the California Department of Transportation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife , wildlife crossings will cross over the freeway and the rail line at the three proposed locations. Hundreds of existing culverts and crossings under the Interstate will be maintained or improved. Fencing to protect the desert tortoise and to exclude wildlife will be restored or installed as part of
13462-449: The stadium's surrounding communities to Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. When completed, the approximate 5,000 people per hour, per direction aerial gondola is expected to transport visitors from Union Station to Dodger Stadium in approximately seven minutes. Additionally, the proposed project would also include several improvements to the nearby Los Angeles State Historic Park. Measure M, passed in November 2016, extends and increases
13589-461: The state-owned Interstate 15 right-of-way between Las Vegas and Victor Valley from California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The 50-year lease is in the amount of $ 842,000 per year starting in 2020, adjusted according to the consumer price index every three years. A similar agreement for the Apple Valley to Rancho Cucamonga segment was signed in March 2023. Brightline entered into
13716-514: The station will operate under the jurisdiction of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA). SBCTA and the city of Rancho Cucamonga approved the sale of a 5-acre parcel (2.0 ha) to Brightline for the high speed rail station in 2022. A proposed 2.8 miles (4.5 km) underground people-mover would provide a link to the Ontario International Airport . Omnitrans currently offers direct bus service to
13843-535: The test track. China is developing two separate high-speed maglev systems. In Europe, high-speed rail began during the International Transport Fair in Munich in June 1965, when Dr Öpfering, the director of Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railways), performed 347 demonstrations at 200 km/h (120 mph) between Munich and Augsburg by DB Class 103 hauled trains. The same year
13970-502: The time, the decision was criticized for its cost and perceived ineffectiveness. Disabled Medicare College Vocational $ 0.75 (peak) Weekday mode share in 2023 The Metro B Line has the highest ridership of all Metro Rail lines and also the lowest operational cost because of its high ridership. The Metro Rail Metro K Line has the lowest ridership of all letter-branded lines. Average daily boardings and passenger miles for all of 2023 are as follows: Day-to-day operations of Metro
14097-436: The train line farther into the Los Angeles Basin through the Cajon Pass was considered to be prohibitively expensive. The station would include free parking and through-checking of baggage straight to the Las Vegas Strip resorts. A future extension would have included a new link to the California High-Speed Rail station in Palmdale . DesertXpress Enterprises, LLC was founded in 2005 to develop, construct, own and operate
14224-515: The use of 48 miles (77 km) within Interstate 15 to Rancho Cucamonga. A 6-foot-high concrete barrier (1.8 m) will keep vehicles away from the rail line along the center divider of Interstate 15. This would prevent animals from making what is already a dangerous crossing of the freeway. Desert bighorn sheep once thrived in these mountain ranges, though they now face many challenges. Wildlife researchers determined that wildlife crossings at Soda , Cady and Clark mountains could help sustain
14351-629: The vehicle's design and in the operation of the line. Vehicles stop at dedicated stations (except for the portion of the Metro J Line in Downtown Los Angeles), vehicles receive priority at intersections and are painted in a silver livery similar to Metro Rail vehicles. The Metro Busway J Line operates over two busways, semi-exclusive roadways built into the Southern California freeway system. These busways are also used by other bus routes to speed up their trips. The base fare for Metro services, including local and express buses and Metro Rail,
14478-540: The wider rail gauge, and thus standard gauge was adopted for high-speed service. With the sole exceptions of Russia, Finland, and Uzbekistan all high-speed rail lines in the world are still standard gauge, even in countries where the preferred gauge for legacy lines is different. The new service, named Shinkansen (meaning new main line ) would provide a new alignment, 25% wider standard gauge utilising continuously welded rails between Tokyo and Osaka with new rolling stock, designed for 250 km/h (160 mph). However,
14605-629: The world's population, without a single train passenger fatality. (Suicides, passengers falling off the platforms, and industrial accidents have resulted in fatalities.) Since their introduction, Japan's Shinkansen systems have been undergoing constant improvement, not only increasing line speeds. Over a dozen train models have been produced, addressing diverse issues such as tunnel boom noise, vibration, aerodynamic drag , lines with lower patronage ("Mini shinkansen"), earthquake and typhoon safety, braking distance , problems due to snow, and energy consumption (newer trains are twice as energy-efficient as
14732-470: Was achieved by providing the locomotive and cars with a unique axle system that used one axle set per car end, connected by a Y-bar coupler. Amongst other advantages, the centre of mass was only half as high as usual. This system became famous under the name of Talgo ( Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol ), and for half a century was the main Spanish provider of high-speed trains. In the early 1950s,
14859-530: Was also made about "current harnessing" at high-speed by the pantographs, which was solved 20 years later by the Zébulon TGV 's prototype. With some 45 million people living in the densely populated Tokyo– Osaka corridor, congestion on road and rail became a serious problem after World War II , and the Japanese government began thinking about ways to transport people in and between cities. Because Japan
14986-570: Was awarded a $ 25-million grant in July 2023 from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program to fund design and construction costs of the stations in Hesperia and Apple Valley. Preparatory work involving ground surveys in the right of way of Interstate 15 and recruitment of up to 11,000 workers began in January 2024. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 22, 2024, at
15113-403: Was extended a further 161 km (100 mi), and further construction has resulted in the network expanding to 2,951 km (1,834 mi) of high speed lines as of 2024, with a further 211 km (131 mi) of extensions currently under construction and due to open in 2031. The cumulative patronage on the entire system since 1964 is over 10 billion, the equivalent of approximately 140% of
15240-484: Was inaugurated by the TEE Le Capitole between Paris and Toulouse , with specially adapted SNCF Class BB 9200 locomotives hauling classic UIC cars, and a full red livery. It averaged 119 km/h (74 mph) over the 713 km (443 mi). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority ( LACMTA ), branded as Metro ,
15367-543: Was made of stainless steel and, like the Fliegender Hamburger, was diesel powered, articulated with Jacobs bogies , and could reach 160 km/h (99 mph) as commercial speed. The new service was inaugurated 11 November 1934, traveling between Kansas City and Lincoln , but at a lower speed than the record, on average speed 74 km/h (46 mph). In 1935, the Milwaukee Road introduced
15494-466: Was not only a part of the Shinkansen revolution: the Shinkansen offered high-speed rail travel to the masses. The first Bullet trains had 12 cars and later versions had up to 16, and double-deck trains further increased the capacity. After three years, more than 100 million passengers had used the trains, and the milestone of the first one billion passengers was reached in 1976. In 1972, the line
15621-470: Was proposed to look into the feasibility of high-speed rail into southern Nevada from California, possibly XpressWest. The bill was introduced in April 2015, and was passed by the legislature in May 2015, by a vote of 40–1. It was approved by the Governor in May 2015. In September 2015, XpressWest and the newly formed China Railway International USA, a consortium of Chinese rail industry companies, announced
15748-525: Was resource limited and did not want to import petroleum for security reasons, energy-efficient high-speed rail was an attractive potential solution. Japanese National Railways (JNR) engineers began to study the development of a high-speed regular mass transit service. In 1955, they were present at the Lille 's Electrotechnology Congress in France, and during a 6-month visit, the head engineer of JNR accompanied
15875-402: Was still more than 30 years away. After the breakthrough of electric railroads, it was clearly the infrastructure – especially the cost of it – which hampered the introduction of high-speed rail. Several disasters happened – derailments, head-on collisions on single-track lines, collisions with road traffic at grade crossings, etc. The physical laws were well-known, i.e. if the speed was doubled,
16002-556: Was to be completed by the end of 2013. The date of the service for this link has not been determined. In February 2013, the federal loan remained unapproved and construction was not expected to start until mid-2014 at the earliest. Representative Paul Ryan ( R - WI ), the chairman of the House Budget Committee and senator Jeff Sessions ( R - AL ), the ranking minority member of the Senate Committee on
16129-477: Was too heavy for much of the tracks, so Cincinnati Car Company , J. G. Brill and others pioneered lightweight constructions, use of aluminium alloys, and low-level bogies which could operate smoothly at extremely high speeds on rough interurban tracks. Westinghouse and General Electric designed motors compact enough to be mounted on the bogies. From 1930 on, the Red Devils from Cincinnati Car Company and
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