High-speed train from California to Las Vegas tries to slow rising costs

['Joel Rose', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-09-11 09:00:00

For most of its 218-mile route, Brightline West plans to build in the median of Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Southern California to help keep costs down. (Courtesy of Brightline West)RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — Brightline West aims to connect Las Vegas and Southern California with high-speed rail. The project also aims to ease the notorious traffic congestion between L.A. and Las Vegas that frequently turns Interstate-15 into a parking lot. From left to right: Brightline founder Wes Edens, then-Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) at a groundbreaking ceremony at the Brightline West Las Vegas station in April 2024 in Las Vegas. With federal money in doubt, California’s high-speed train seeks a new path forward The leaders of California’s high-speed rail project say they’ve learned from past mistakes.