Archinect - News

High-speed rail project linking Las Vegas and Southern California takes step forward

2020-07-08T14:56:00-04:00

DesertXpress Enterprises LLC, an affiliate of Virgin Trains USA, has struck a lease deal with the California DOT (Caltrans) for a right of way along Interstate 15 as part of its $4.8 billion, 170-mile XpressWest bullet train from Southern California to Las Vegas.

First mentioned on Archinect last September, the planned 170-mile long high-speed rail line that could connect Las Vegas with Southern California's Apple Valley station, about 90 miles northeast of Downtown Los Angeles, is making progress.

XpressWest, a Brightline company and subsidiary of Virgin Trains USA, has reached a lease agreement with the California Department of Transportation to use existing State right-of-way along Interstate 15.

According to the official Caltrans announcement, an environmental study estimated that "the completed project will reduce carbon emissions by 300,000 metric tons a year – the equivalent of removing nearly 65,000 vehicles off the road."

The privately financed project hopes to break ground later this year and reach completion in 2023.

SoCal-Las Vegas Virgin bullet train to begin construction next year

2019-12-19T09:00:00-05:00

While construction on the long-talked-about high-speed train between Las Vegas and Southern California is slated to begin next year, work probably won’t start in Nevada until the following year. Virgin Trains USA could break ground in the second half of 2020 on the 170-mile route between Southern Nevada and the Victor Valley area of Southern California...

The project is expected to be completed in 2023, but, according to state Department of Business Director Terry Reynolds, it cannot commence construction until the "record of decision" is received by the Federal Railroad Administration, reports Review-Journal.

Kazuyo Sejima envisions "camouflaged" design for Seibu's new bullet train

2016-03-15T18:20:00-04:00

Working with [Seibu Group's] design team, [Sejima] has proposed a concept for [their] 'Red Arrow' series that would be one with the environment, melding into the background as it travels through city and countryside. The plan represents a sharp deviation from train designs of the past, which have emphasized a bold, striking look through slick lines and bright colors. In contrast, Sejima has chosen keywords like 'friendly' and 'soft' to define her new vision for express trains in Japan.

LA County residents protest planned high-speed rail

2015-06-09T20:21:00-04:00

A diverse alliance of communities — including Los Angeles County's third-largest city — is fighting California's long-planned bullet train route into the heart of the San Fernando Valley, saying it would bring irreparable harm... The coalition of communities is demanding that only routes that are predominantly underground should be considered. The growing resistance is coming in part from urban, working-class neighborhoods that are portraying the surface route as an environmental injustice.

In short, the bullet train faces opposition from basically every direction. One proposed route, which would include several above-ground stretches, worries residents of the town of San Fernando – because it would basically cleave the city in two, wiping out a significant chunk of the downtown. And attempts to pursue underground routes have faced criticism because of the possibility of harmful interactions with the state's complex of fault lines and already-precarious aquifers.

Meanwhile, in Downtown LA, Elon Musk's team continues to develop the Hyperloop...