A long-awaited high-speed rail project connecting Las Vegas to Southern California is reportedly ready to proceed in 2023 as an $8 billion proposal from rail operator Brightline is nearing permitting permission from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

According to the International Railway Journal (IRJ), the project would include three stops along a 49-mile stretch of land along Interstate 15. The railway system is expected to reduce car traffic between Los Angeles and Vegas by 3 million vehicles per year and transport passengers at speeds around 180 miles for a trip that would only take a little more than 2 hours from end to end. The company says the project would create up to 1,000 permanent jobs in both states. 

Operations could begin as soon as 2026 or 2027 depending on the start date, which Brightline West CEO Mike Reininger says will happen in “a matter of weeks” after clearing the permission hurdle. Funding is coming in the form of private activity bonds from California and Nevada, as well as an already secured $1 billion bond from the Federal Department of Transportation. 

Brightline currently operates an extensive rail network in Florida and has also recently acquired a site along the Vegas Strip that the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported could potentially lead to a new MLS stadium in addition to its 65,000-square-foot terminal. They are trying to attract as many as 12 million one-way trips a year, offering a carbon offset of up to 400,000 tons of CO2 annually. Ridership could increase to up 11.5 million passengers a year by the year 2044, according to projections reported by IRJ. 

“I can’t think of a more shovel-ready project in America than this one, or a more environmentally friendly one,” Wes Edens, CEO for Fortress, the developers behind the project, told the Review-Journal in early November. The environmental assessment also reported also found "no significantly adverse impacts" to low-income and minority communities along the route.