SoCal to Las Vegas train project gets approval to build along 15 Freeway

A plan to build a high-speed train between Southern California and Las Vegas got a boost Tuesday after the rail company in charge of the project received permission to build along Interstate 15.

XpressWest entered into a lease agreement with the California Department of Transportation to construct the rail line on I-15’s median, Caltrans announced in a news release.

Approximately 135 miles of the 170-mile rail system will be in California.

The project will be privately financed and will cost about $7 billion, according to 2018 estimates.

It expects to first complete a link between Las Vegas and Victorville, California, with plans to eventually extend the line another 80 miles (130 kilometers) to Los Angeles.

The project stalled several times over the past decade, mostly over financing.

Photo Credit: XpressWest