Latest news with #ElizabethBecerra
USA Today
07-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
AmeriStarRail pitches coast-to-coast high-speed rail project, with High Desert stops
Move over Brightline West, transportation company AmeriStarRail has pitched a Los Angeles to New York high-speed rail project, which would travel through the High Desert. The Delaware-based company proposed its high-speed rail project dubbed the 'Transcontinental Chief' to the longtime passenger rail company Amtrak, according to Newsweek. AmeriStarRail inked its proposal in June to Amtrak President Roger Harris about the possible joint venture connecting both coasts in under 72 hours. The project would include dozens of stops, including Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Victorville, Barstow, the Grand Canyon, Kansas City, Chicago and New York. The AmeriStarRail system would use existing infrastructure from host railroads, including BNSF, Norfolk Southern and New Jersey Transit, Newsweek reported. Many variables Victorville Mayor Elizabeth Becerra told the Daily Press on Wednesday that there are 'a lot of variables' to work through before the proposed project sees approval. 'It sounds like a great idea, but they'll have to deal with things like train schedules, permission to use BNSF tracks, funding, construction of a new station and a mountain of regulations,' Becerra. 'If they plan to bring the project through Victorville, I hope they let us sit down at the discussion table.' The current Amtrak schedule shows a train passing through the High Desert twice a day. Operational by 2026? AmeriStarRail explained that the goal of the project includes having trains operational by May 10, 2026, in time for the FIFA World Cup and the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations, according to Newsweek. The rail system would use existing TTX flatcars and auto carriers, along with Amtrak locomotives and passenger cars. It would also be on a route that is mostly double track, according to Trains Magazine. 'The Transcontinental Chief will be a great opportunity for Amtrak to team up with the private sector to confront the challenges of its money-losing long-distance trains and create opportunities to usher in a profitable Golden Age of rail travel for passengers and truckers, with the ingenuity of free enterprise, as we celebrate our great nation's 250th birthday next year,' the AmeriStarRail letter stated. Amtrak has yet to respond to AmeriStarRail and has not acted on previous pitches made by the company, Newsweek reported. The proposed route would replace Amtrak's Southwest Chief Line, which runs from Los Angeles to Chicago. Additionally, the Pennsylvanian Line on the East Coast. Brightline West One high-speed rail project in California includes Brightline West's 218-mile rail line between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, with stops in Apple Valley and Hesperia. The Brightline West track will primarily run along the Interstate 15 median. Trains capable of reaching 186 mph or more will cut the trip between Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga to two hours – half the time to travel by car, the company said. Brightline West's $12 billion high-speed rail project will be a fully electric, zero-emission system to become one of the greenest forms of transportation in the U.S. Field testing has continued after Brightline West hosted a groundbreaking for its high-speed rail system in Las Vegas in April 2024. In February 2025, Nevada Department of Transportation officials were told by Brightline officials that construction of the rail project would begin within the next two months. California High-Speed Rail Authority Earlier this year, President Donald Trump said the government would not fund the California High-Speed Rail Authority's project that would connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. Nearly17 years after California voters initially approved a bond to help fund its construction, the project's main focus is now a Merced to Bakersfield railway with an expected operational date between 2030 and 2033, the Fresno Bee reported. Railway News reported that while the California High-Speed Rail project has faced delays, cost overruns, and political scrutiny, the San Francisco Bay Area continues to ready itself to become a vital terminus. Despite the controversy surrounding the project, regional leaders are steadily preparing infrastructure for its arrival. During the American Public Transportation Association's High-Speed Rail Seminar, Andrew Fremier, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, asserted that the agency remains fully committed to bringing the California High-Speed Rail project to San Francisco and believes that it can be feasibly brought forward in increments. Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@ Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High-speed rail project that links with Brightline West to Vegas making progress
The High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency has selected HDR for design and engineering services for a segment of California's high-speed rail system between Victorville and Palmdale. The California train line between the Victor Valley and Antelope Valley will span about 54 miles and will connect with Brightline West's planned high-speed rail project and station in the Victor Valley. The Brightline West project includes 218 miles of track, with a main passenger station in Las Vegas and stops in Apple Valley, Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga. In July 2024, High Desert representatives, including Victorville Mayor Elizabeth Becerra, a member of the joint agency, gave their support to the project, the Daily Press reported. Becerra, along with her fellow board members, signed "landmark agreements" with union labor representatives to construct, operate, and maintain the future multimillion-dollar High Desert Corridor High-Speed Rail Project. Barstow tourism summit sparks buzz: Is Inland Empire the next big travel destination? The east-west High Desert rail corridor will improve connectivity with California's planned high-speed rail network and open access to housing, jobs and cultural opportunities previously out of reach, HDR officials stated. With proposed speeds of up to 180 miles per hour, the High Desert rail service project will provide a fast connection from a multimodal transportation hub in Los Angeles County's Antelope Valley to the future Brightline West high-speed rail station in San Bernardino County, HDR said. Eventually, the rail network will connect Southern California to the northern half of the state, Las Vegas and beyond. 'The High Desert Corridor will improve connectivity and accessibility for millions of travelers, generate billions in economic activity, and open new opportunities for the whole region,' said HDR Project Manager Girair Kotchian. 'It's a privilege to be involved with such a momentous project for Southern California.' Under a five-year contract, the HDR-led team will provide a wide range of engineering services for the authority, including rail design, systems and station integration, operations and maintenance facility design, systems planning, bridge design, right of way coordination, environmental support services, stakeholder coordination, risk management, procurement support, and contract administration, among others. 'Delivering the engineering and advisory services associated with the High Desert Corridor requires a multidisciplinary team that can maximize a broad array of opportunities and tackle diverse challenges with resilience, technical expertise and unwavering focus,' said HDR Global Transit Director Matt Tucker. 'We have an exceptional team gathered with world-class expertise in large-scale transit corridors. This is great news for Southern California and the future of high-speed rail in the United States.' The Antelope Valley to Victor Valley project is completing environmental documentation and preliminary engineering. Construction of the project is expected in the early 2030s, HDR stated. Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@ Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victor Valley to Palmdale high-speed rail project hires HDR for design
