California’s two high-speed rail projects, one public and one private, may get a connection in the desert that will allow both to operate into downtown Los Angeles.
Currently, California is building a high-speed line to connect Los Angeles with San Francisco, with future extensions planned north to Sacramento and south to San Diego. Brightline West, a private company is building a 218-mile line connecting Las Vegas with a Los Angeles suburb where passengers would transfer to regional transit into Los Angeles.
The ‘missing link’ plan, put forward by a consortium of cities, counties and agencies, would build a 54-mile high-speed line extending west from Palmdale, a station on the California High-Speed line to Apple Valley, where Brightline is planning a station. The line, designed for the region’s passengers to reach Los Angeles, could be used to provide a one-seat ride on Brightline to Los Angeles over the tracks of the High-Speed line.
The plan for the connector comes from the oddly-named High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Authority, which has just signed contracts that will enable it to move forward with its proposed line.
There are a number of issues that would need to be resolved before an actual connection with Brightline, including engineering questions to ensure that signaling and infrastructure of the two railroads is compatible.
Image: Brightline station under construction
